


If My Velocity Starts To Make You Sweat, Then Don't Let Go

by Velocity_Owl87



Series: Loup!Verse [5]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-13
Updated: 2011-11-13
Packaged: 2017-10-26 00:55:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 40,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/276762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velocity_Owl87/pseuds/Velocity_Owl87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny's had enough upheaval in his life to last a lifetime. The Universe, in the shape of the courts, an old debt and his family have other ideas and he's just going to have to suck it up and deal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	If My Velocity Starts To Make You Sweat, Then Don't Let Go

_No Sleep_

“ _It feels so heavy  
Feels so heavy, heavy  
I’m waiting for a Saturday  
Waiting for a Saturday  
And I’m too young to be old”-Sam Roberts_

Danny’s lying in bed completely out of it on a Saturday afternoon after an almost all night gaming marathon when the doorbell rings. He jolts awake and lies there, not willing to give up his sleep just yet. He stays awake enough to listen, but not enough to actually get out of his cozy nest and answer the damned door.

He rolls over and burrows deeper into the covers when the knocking starts again. Loud, impatient and determined knocking that would have lesser mortals running for the door already. But he spent about thirteen hours straight online and he doesn’t have practice or a game, so he’s not getting out of bed. Whoever it is can sod off for all he cares.

He knows he’s beat though, when the house phone starts ringing. When he lets it go to voicemail, his cell phone starts and during all this, the knocking is not stopping.

It’s only then that Danny Briere concedes defeat and jumps out of bed in a towering rage; ready to tear whoever it was a new one as he storms to the front door and yanks it open.

And wishes that he hadn’t, since on his porch, he’s got an amused looking Carbonneau, and a surly Claude Giroux who looks like a dirty and more ginger version of Grizzly Adams. He blinks and is about to open his mouth to say something to Carbonneau when the sight of his ex-wife’s minivan pulling up stops him. Briefly, he wonders if she’s coming to remind him about something that he may have forgotten, like homework, or a missing cheque or missing hockey tape. Something completely ridiculous and mundane.

His hopes evaporate even quicker than the morning mist when the minivan stops and his ex, along with his disgruntled looking litter, get out. His oldest looks like he wants to tear someone apart and the snarl he gives his mother when she speaks to him is just this shy of showing overgrown canines very clearly. His other pups are studiously avoiding the scene happening almost in front of them and concentrate on pulling their large hockey bags out of the trunk of the minivan and lugging them up to the porch.

“Er…” he didn’t get to finish that thought, since it was then that his cell rang and just like any other wise man would do, he put discretion on a higher plane than valour and hightailed to answer it.

He found it on the kitchen table, which as usual is covered in pens, paper, books, magazines, gaming guides, his laptop, camera and his Iphone. He picks it up and looks back at the front door. His oldest is already inside and dragging his bag to his room while his middle and youngest hover around the door as does Carbonneau and Claude, who hasn’t said shit during all this. He can see his ex behind them, and he decides that even though he doesn’t want to deal with all this shit at the moment, he’s not going to be an asshole at the situation and waves them all inside while he goes to the kitchen area.

“Hello?” he didn’t hear anything except the muffled sounds of traffic and rushing wind. He was about to hang up when he heard a muffled cursing and a frantic “Shit! Don’t hang up Briere! Don’t fucking hang up!”

“What? Who’s this?” he asks, wondering if his morning’s about to go from bad to worse and belatedly wishes that he had just sucked it up and dealt with everyone who has now either gone to their respective hiding places (his pups) or is waiting in the only neutral zone in the house (his living room) and waiting for him. But now he’s dealing with someone that sounds utterly terrified and like Danny’s his last hope for salvation, and he’s starting to get that overwhelming feeling of utter panic and foreboding that his peaceful little existence has disappeared once and for all and to kiss it goodbye while he was at it.

“It’s Price. Listen…I’m sorry…but I need a place to hide and someone to sew me up before I bleed to death all over the fucking car, and you’re the only _loup_ in the area…Ow fuck…”

“Wait, what? Why are you bleeding?” Danny asks, his brain working to catch up and process all the information that Price has just thrown at him, and he keeps getting stuck on the part about Carey Price, one of the Council for the Western Pack and Co-Alpha for the Pacific Pack was in danger of bleeding to death in a car.

“Cause I nearly got my intestines ripped out by one of Kessler’s enforcers! Fuck! Briere! Yes or no? I don’t have all fucking day here! God…aaaahhhh…” the rest of his sentence trails off into a pain-filled moan and that is enough to get Danny out of his mental block.

“Where are you?” Danny asks running back to the bedroom to find his jeans. He strips his track pants quickly and makes sure he’s got his keys and wallet in the pockets before he runs out back to the front foyer again.

“In the parking lot of the Wells Fargo Center, by the billboard. How soon can you get here?” Carey asks, his words coloured with pain as he forces them out.

“How long can you hang on?” Danny asks as he shakes his head at everyone in the living room as they stand up and try to get his attention. He turns his back to them and starts digging around on the top shelf of the closet, where he’s got a fully stocked medical kit hidden in the back. He pulls it out and shoves his feet into some slip on Vans and opens the door.

Carey laughs and his breath hitches as he groans loudly in pain. “Two hours with a wound like this. I’d rather you didn’t take that long though. Can’t guarantee I’m going to be conscious though. Fucking hurts too much.” The last is said in a little more than a whisper and the call ends abruptly.

Danny swears softly under his breath and shoves his phone in his pocket. This is not good.

“Danny?” He looks up to see Carbonneau and his ex, both wearing similar expressions of impatience and worry.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.” Danny cuts them off as he hefts the grip of the kit to carry it much more easily. “Pack business.”

“That’s why we are here, Briere.” Carbonneau replies, his eyes going steely like a rain soaked pond.

“Any of you bleeding to death then?” Danny shoots back, making his ex and Carbonneau blink in surprise.

“Then you can wait until I get back, because the _loup_ that called me is. Make yourselves at home in the meantime.” He tells them before he opens the door and rushes out to his car. He unlocks the door and throws the kit in the passenger seat in the same quick motion and turns on the ignition. He puts on his seat-belt and just sits there, staring blankly out the windshield as he tries to figure out which route will get him to Price as quickly as possible.

Or tries to. The only thing he can think of is that at least all hell broke loose in one place and at one time rather than scattered levels of clusterfuck. He can deal with concentrated clusterfuck. He can do this.

He keeps telling himself that as he puts his hands on the steering wheel and drives to his destination.

~*~*~*~

Danny finds the car easily enough: the only SUV in the parking lost parked carelessly with a red, white and blue sticker half torn off the bumper. There’s dark maroon smears marring the _tricolour_ he remembers all too well from his childhood, and he feels a heavy weight settling deep in his stomach. A sense of horrific foreboding and the feeling that nothing’s going to be the same in his life ever sweeps over him as he parks his own car and turns off the engine.

“Leave now.” His mind is whispering, and then screaming as he takes off his seatbelt and gathers up his keys and the kit. He pauses and knows that this is it. The last chance he’s got to go back to his life the way he’s rebuilt it since it imploded. He could easily put his seatbelt back on and drive back to his house and deal with the maelstrom there.

But the sight of dirty and ruined sticker tells him otherwise. Danny knows if he walks away, he’s never going to forgive himself for being a callous bastard. And a fucking coward. And how will he face his pups and raise them right if he can’t even extend basic decency to another _loup_? No. He may be many things, but he’s not a bastard. So he ignores his warnings and gets out of the car. He closes the door and locks it as he makes his way over to the black SUV.

Danny peeks in the windows, but the front seats are empty. The driver’s seat is stained with blood that makes his nose twitch as the scent of it hits his nose like a smack to the face. He can feel his canines lengthen in response and he has to back away from the SUV to get his impulses under control. It takes him a few more moments before he can trust himself enough to get close to the vehicle and look inside again to make sense of what he’s seeing.

The blood is actually in a smeared trail to the back seat, and Danny can now see Price has taken all of the seats out and he looks like he’s almost doubled over as he half-sits, half reclines against the door. His legs are scrunched up in what must be an uncomfortable position, but the pain in his gut must be worse. His arms are wrapped around his middle and his head is bowed, and if it wasn’t for the occasional jerk of the head, Danny could swear he was dead. He wants to panic. He wants to call someone else to come and deal with this shit, because he’s just a right winger and a _fucking librarian_ at the end of the day. He’s a Beta alpha, for fuck’s sake!

“Get your shit together, Briere.” He finally mutters to himself and takes a couple of deep breaths to steady his nerves. In the end, he’s all of those things, but Price called _him._ And if the Co-Alpha of the newest pack trusted him to have his back…well, he was going to have to do his best, even if he feels like he’s the wrong guy for the job.

Having made up his mind, he opens the door and is surprised to find it open. But then Price _is_ bleeding from a gut wound. Locking the damned door is probably the last thing he’s going to be concerned about, Danny rationalized morbidly. He crawls into the interior and is actually thankful for his size for once. If he were any bigger, it would be crowded as hell and he’d waste time trying to haul Price out and work on him somewhere else. It’s not roomy by any stretch of the imagination, but it has to do.

He puts the kit nearby and tentatively lifts Price’s head to check if he’s passed out or not.

“About fucking time.” Price greets Danny nearly making him jump out of his skin at the raspy sound of his voice. Price’s eyes are silver and his face a sickly shade of grey that Danny doesn’t think is possible for a person to be. Price smiles faintly as he straightens out slightly and pulls his hands away from his abdomen, where he’s been pressing down a blood-soaked towel that more than likely was white when the day started.

“Please tell me you can do something, or else I’m fucked.” Price whispers once the extent of the damage is in full view.

“ _Cris de la maudit hostilè!”_ Danny hisses when he sees the wound. It’s four deep gashes across Price’s abdomen, and they are deep enough to show the dark purple gleam of internal organs. Skin, muscle and the abdominal cavity sac have been ripped open. Blood’s oozing freely from the wound, but there’s no other scent apart from the blood. Price, as strange as it sounds, got lucky. Nothing got perforated. If that had been the case, he would have had to take him to a hospital and he knows Price is being hunted and that would have been the equivalent of putting a tracker on the younger _loup_.

But it wasn’t a simple matter of stitching the layers up and hoping for the best.

“Why the fuck aren’t you healing?” Danny asks him as he turns to the kit and pops the lid open.

Price laughs, but it is cut short by his groan of pain. “Silver.”

“Fucking shit. I though we signed the accords about that.” Price shakes his head and watches as Danny pulls out several bottles, gauze, a suturing kit, a scalpel, needles and ampules of that compound painkiller he remembers all too well from the November Wars out of the kit. Price closes his eyes after that and tries to gather what little reserves he’s got left to stay awake and try to force his body to heal. But it’s not working. He can only _just_ keep himself from bleeding to death and awake. The rest, the talking, the explaining, it all is draining him. But Danny deserves an answer.

“Kesler doesn’t give a shit about the accords.” Price hisses out and opens his eyes in time to see Danny pulling on blue rubber gloves and all he pulled out of the kit lying out on a sterile towel.

“Do the other Alphas know?” Danny asks softly as he picks up a pair of scissors and cuts away the rags of Price’s shirt. He puts the scissors down and bites his lip as he moves the towel to make room. He can’t do anything for Price unless he’s on his back and moving him is going to be a bitch.

“Shane got the message out to the West and the European Collective. The East…we don’t know if Stortini made it.” Price replied, his eyes going half-mast.

“Fuck. I’m going to have to move you to cut out the silver. I’m really, really sorry.”

Price bites his lip and doesn’t open his eyes as he whispers “Just fucking do it, Danny.”

~O~O~O~O~

“That’s some seriously good shit you got there, Danny.” Price-no, Carey- Danny mentally corrects himself slurs as Danny drives them both home. He can’t keep calling someone by their last name after he spent what felt like an eternity debriding and flushing out the silver poisoned bits of tissue from their gut and then sewing them up. It creates a complicated kind of intimacy, since before that day, they hadn’t really engaged in anything that resembled a real conversation. And now, Danny basically held Carey’s life in his hands in both the literal and figurative sense.

Although Danny’s in dire need of a shower and a stiff drink and wishes he had taken the shorter route instead of the complicated long way, he has to smile at Carey’s words. He glances over to the other _loup_ and is glad to see that although slumped in the backseat and higher than a bunch of Rastafarians at a Bob Marley Revival; his colour is good and he’s at least aware of himself. His bandages only have a bit of blood on them and so far, the spots haven’t grown. So far, so good.

“Glad you approve.” Danny replies his eyes on the highway as he drives home in his car. He taps the steering wheel with his fingertips and tries to not keep looking in the rear-view mirror in case Carey picks up his paranoia. As dull as his mind is, Carey is still a _loup_ and not entirely helpless or unaware.

They drive on in silence, but he can’t help the twitching and worry that seeps into him as he thinks about Carbonneau and Claude and his pups and his ex all being in his house at that very moment. He knows that the old _loup_ can take care of himself and Claude and his pups too, even if they are little. They could defend his ex if it came down to it. But it still didn’t shake the fear that he was leading Kesler’s enforcers straight to his home and the people that meant the world to him.

“They’re not following us, Danny.” Carey spoke up, making Danny jump in the seat.

“Am I that obvious?”

“Nah. I would have picked it up earlier if you had been.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Carey shrugs and sits up a little straighter, paling slightly as the movement aggravates his injuries. He meets Danny’s eyes in the rear-view mirror and they are clear and their usual dark brown.

“They left me for dead, that’s how I know. I’m thinking it’s going to take them at least a week to pick up my trail and something’s got to be in place by then.” He looks away then and plays with the threads from the hole in his dirty, battered jeans before he continues.

“But I couldn’t risk going to the Western Alphas and begging sanctuary there. Not when Kesler would take that as another act of aggression and declare an all-out assault.”

Danny bites his lower lip and pulls his gaze away from the mirror and drives off the corresponding exit towards his home and the mess he left behind when he rushed off to fix Carey up.

“What was the first act of aggression then?” he finds himself asking as he slows down once he’s in the residential part of the neighbourhood, creeping along until he gets to his house. He mutters a few swears when he sees the cars are still there. He expected it, but it was still a disappointment to see it.

Carey laughs harshly, the sound more like a sharp bark than a sound of amusement.

“When I figure it out, I promise that you’ll be the first to know, okay Danny?”

~*~*~*~

 _Western Enclave, Manitoba_

Sheldon and Jonathan watch as Jose tries to comfort the distraught Co-Alpha of the Pacific Pack, who’s been crying his grief at the death of his co-ruler and second cousin. Shane Doan got there earlier in the week, barely alive and with silver infected wounds all over his body and with the chilling news that the Pacific pack had been broken, its members scattered, in hiding or taken as spoils of war. And some…

“He’s gone. We can’t find a goddamned trace of him anywhere! We’ve swept the entire area and nothing. He’s simply vanished, or those bastards from the Midwest ate him. But he’s gone!” Doan cries, his voice cracking in grief and his face a gruesome mask of bloody tears. He hadn’t stopped mourning and the constant crying has ruptured his tear ducts to the point that he cries blood constantly.

Jose looks up from where he is sitting; his eyes wide and green as he looks at his ruler and mate. Sheldon looked at Jonathan and Ryan, all of them weighing their options over the aggression that Kesler had just shown the Pacific pack and to an extent, the West and the Eastern Packs.

“We don’t have a choice now, do we?” Jose asks quietly while Ryan scowls and Jonathan rubs the back of his neck before looking at the head of the Triumvirate, The Alpha Precedent.

“I hoped we could avoid it, but it has to be done. He won’t stop. I am declaring it. Sheldon, if you will.” Jonathan turns to the Alpha Precedent and stepped back, his decision out

Although Jonathan is the _Alpha Reignant_ , the Triumvirate of Sheldon, Jose and Ryan hold as much sway in the Court and Council as they ever did and acted like his advisors and War councillors.

Sheldon’s mouth tightens and his eyes flash a brilliant green before he speaks.

“He’s broken all of the accords and we have just stabilized the situation here and this happens. He’s pushed us into a corner at this point. We’re countering the attack. Magnus? Taylor?”

The two pups, silently standing at the edges with the Alpha incumbent, the Regent and his Consort, come forward quickly and bare their necks to the Alpha Precedent before straightening up and waiting for their orders.

“You have leave to return to your territories. War has now been declared. Give your Alphas the word.”

~*~*~*~*~

 _Chapter 2_

“ _There might be something outside your window  
But you’ll just never know  
There could be something right past the turnpike gates  
But you’ll just never know” My Chemical Romance_

“Not that I want to treat you like a kid, but are you sure you're good without more painkiller? You metabolized that a little too quickly and your body's going to be healing those tears up for a few more hours at least.” Danny asked Carey as the younger _loup_ crawled tiredly into his bed, his boxers and jeans shucked off and thrown into the laundry basket sitting in the corner of the room. 

Carey pulled the comforter up to his chin and raised an eyebrow at Danny before he started moving around in an effort to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

"You really don't want to get out there do you? Is that why you're still-argh, fuck!" Carey cried out when he tried to move and the stitches pulled at his still sore and barely healed sutures. He probably would have shouted out more obscenities if he hadn't trapped his lower lip between his teeth.

“Yeah, that's totally it, Carey. However did you find me out? I guess I should work on my poker face, huh?” Danny drawled out, dripping so much sarcasm that Carey, had he not been too busy nearly biting through his lip, would have given him the finger for. Even if he did spend a couple of hours sewing him up and hiding his ass.

“You talk to your kids like that?” Carey gasped out as he watched Danny pull out another syringe and an ampoule of pain-killer mix.

Danny rolled his eyes at Carey. “Only when they're being idiots. Now give me your arm or you're going to be in a worse world of pain and don't even try to tell me otherwise. You wouldn't be trying to bite through your lip if you were all fine and dandy.”

Carey attempted to give him the side eye and make another remark just to have the last word, but another wave of agony hit him and he instead held out his arm for the much needed relief that the shot would bring.

“Thanks dad.” Carey muttered as he tucked his arm under the duvet and resigned himself to sleeping on his back.

“Welcome, Smart-ass. Now get some sleep.” Danny returned, completely deadpan.

Carey lifted his head and attempted to glare at him, but the effects of the painkiller had hit him so fast, it was as effective as getting glared at by a sleepy kitten. Even his youngest pup could produce a better stink-eye than what Carey was giving him at that point in time.

Danny laughed softly and waited until Carey was passed out fully and was in no danger of waking up in wracking agony before he threw the used medical supplies into the rubbish bin and left the room. Although it wasn't his favourite situation to deal with, he didn't need as much preparation or courage to deal with his ex or Carbonneau. At least that was all familiar ground.

He paused only long enough to run his fingers through his hair and put it in some kind of order and even though his shirt and jeans had blood stains and splatters, it was too late to turn back. He didn't think he would wake Carey up, since the young _loup_ was sleeping the sleep of the drugged. But he _had_ kept Carbonneau, Claude Giroux and his ex waiting for far longer than was acceptable and despite how things had gone in the past, he liked to think that he had a _modicum_ of manners.

Besides, he was sure that both Carbonneau and his ex had seen him looking much worse during the years that they had known him. He was sure of it, even if the memories were somewhat fuzzy at the moment. He grinned mirthlessly at himself before uselessly smoothing the ruined fabric of his clothes and went to the living room, where his guests were sitting on the couches with cups in their hands and staring at the various prints of Impressionist paintings he had put up to make the room look a bit nicer.

To Danny's immense surprise and relief, his ex had taken charge and had found coffee, biscuits and unspoiled milk in his cupboards. He was sort of annoyed that she had rifled through his cupboards, but quashed that uncharitable thought. He had run out on them on an emergency. He should be thankful that she stirred enough to actually make something that she and Carbonneau and that Giroux kid could drink while he was off practising his embroidery skills.

“You really need to get groceries, Danny.” She commented dryly as she held her cup cradled in hands that he could see weren't as steady as they should have been. He cut the retort off when he saw her hands shaking and gave her an even closer examination: her skin was coated in too much of that beige make up stuff, her dark eyes looked haunted and slightly puffy and red-rimmed. Even the mascara and eyeliner couldn't hide the state of her eyes and he knew, from all those years together, that it was a trick she used to diffuse the obvious fact that something had made her cry.

And despite all the acrimony and the messy starts and stops and finality of who they had been...Danny couldn't any less ignore her distress than he could ignore any of his pups or pack.

“What happened? Are you allright?” he found himself asking her as he sat down beside her on the couch and touched her wrist lightly. He could feel her bewilderment and her shock at him touching her, but she didn't move her hand out of his reach.

“I...I...no. I'm not all right. I don't think I will be all right.” She stated in a shaky voice that was struggling to remain steady despite the underlying threat of tears right below the surface.

Danny bit his lip and tried to figure out why her earlier emotions were now overlaid with desperation, sadness and utter hopelessness. And horror. Just a faint tinge of it, like the subtle freesia perfume she had on, but still there for him to pick up.

He didn't mention it, since it drove her nuts in the last few months of their marriage, how he just _knew_ what she was feeling and would simply shut down and go out with his friends (which, in retrospect was probably a stupid idea, since it had just been a couple of weeks ago that his youngest had found _that_ picture of him online and he had to do a hell of a lot of explaining and do some quick backtracking) rather than stay and talk to her. Sometimes, when the nights were too freaking long and his mind didn't shut up, he wondered whether he could have stayed and tried to work it all out with her. But realistically, he knew those were simply his regrets speaking. There were too many things that had changed between them. Too many unspoken desires and too many secrets and disappointments on both sides. Too many nights away and too many doubts.

It had been better for them to have gone their separate ways and it was simply insulting to the new system that they had civilly worked out between them. Yeah, he missed what he had and he was lonely as hell and he was smart enough to realize that gaming and his librarian duties were simply distractions from being off the ice. It was only there that he forgot what his life had turned out like. He saw his pups and tried to do right by them, but it wasn't the same. He didn't like it, but that was just the way things were.

Or at least would be until they started hitting puberty and the actual permanent metamorphosis of his kind. He was sure that his pups were a few years away from going berserk at the full moon and had agreed to let them stay with his ex until that time. She wouldn't be able to handle them after that. Especially considering how two of them were so close in age and that would just be a logistical nightmare and a safety issue for her.

“Why? What happened?” Danny asked her, his voice low as he tried to figure out what he could do to fix the brokenness that he was a stranger to at this point in time.

She didn't reply right away and instead took a long swallow of coffee and set the cup down on his pristine coffee table. It was then that her sleeve moved up to reveal a hastily wrapped gauze bandage around her forearm, and he closed his eyes briefly when the sweet scent of her blood hit him. He opened his eyes again and waited until she talked to him.

“I know...it's not fair to ask you this.” She started, her voice wavering, but not as badly as before. Danny's eyes widened at her words, but didn't jump in. Her eyes flickered back and forth, at his face and down at her hands before she was able to continue.

“I can't have them with me anymore. Maybe Cameron and only then for a few years. But not Caelan or Carson any longer and I don't think it would be a good idea to split them up.”

Danny bit his lip at her words. So much for having a few year's leeway.

“When did it start? And was it just Caelan that...changed?” he asked feebly, while ignoring the shifting of Carbonneau and Giroux as they moved out of the living room to give them some kind of semblance of privacy to discuss the situation further.

She smiled tiredly at him and rolled up her sleeve to show him the bandage he had seen as well as another hidden one higher up on her arm, near her elbow. “The first one's from this last full moon. The other one is from last month. Both are Caelan's handy work. Ten stitches in total.”

“Why didn't you come talk to me about it sooner? We could have started to work something out.” Danny asked quietly, using a deliberately soft tone so that she wouldn't take it as a criticism when there wasn't one.

She laughed gently. “I wasn't sure. I just thought he was being too aggressive with Carson that one time. I pulled him off and he lashed out. He was sorry and apologized and swore it wasn't going to happen again. And we lost track of days and the same thing happened again, but this time with Cameron and when he turned half way...” she trailed off and smiled ruefully.

“You did say it was going to happen, when they were born like they were. I just thought and hoped that we'd get at least a few more years.” She shook her head and Danny felt like shit.

She flicked him a sympathetic look and pulled the sleeves down so that the wounds were hidden. Danny appreciated the gesture, because it was proof of yet another promise that without meaning to, he had broken yet again.

“It's part of it, the growing up and we both knew it could happen. I'm not blaming you. We took the risk and now we have to deal with the situation. It's just figuring out the _how_ in doing it.”

Danny nodded and sat back on the sofa as he worked to take everything in. His oldest was turning and it was a sure thing it would happen completely at the next full moon. And if that was happening, then Carson wasn't that far behind. Metamorphosis in families was almost similar to female menstrual synchronization, and if one pup was starting to turn the closest in age would be forced to shift as well. He really didn't want to split his pups up, but if they were getting that aggressive...

“If I took Caelan and Carson next month...would that work?” he found himself asking her.

She shook her head. “He doesn't even want to be _near_ me, Danny. It's like being corralled by a very angry dog. Carson's not saying anything, but it's bothering him. And Cameron's scared. Of his own _brother_. No. I'm sorry, but it can't wait.”

Danny nodded. He understood her perfectly. And normally, he wouldn't have hesitated to make the arrangements, but he had Carey Price in his room and he had a feeling that arrangement wasn't going to be a permanent one. There was going to be travelling in his future, and the idea of going lord knew where with two near pubescent pups and a hunted Alpha wasn't an appealing one at all.

And if they were to be attacked, which was a given, considering who was torn up and drugged up in his bed...he cursed himself for thinking it and cursed himself for opening his mouth to voice said thought.

“What if I just take Caelan? Would that work?” He asked her. “You said it yourself. Caelan's changing. Carson isn't. But if we keep them together, they will. And...” he looked down at her hands, which are clasped tightly and twitching ever so slightly as they rest on her lap. He clears his throat and looked up at her face and he wants to convince himself that this is just temporary. A compromise to a fucked up and unexpected situation. But he knows it's not the case and he's not going to break her heart anymore than he already has.

“And we don't have to fragment them so much. Carson and Cameron can come visit here like always and see their brother.” Danny threw his bomb and waited for her to think about it. Officially, it was a perfect solution. It was hard enough for her to face losing her children to growing up. It was even worse to lose them to the calls of their species. His own family hadn't dealt with it well when he was pulled away from them at sixteen and as much acrimony that had flared up on both sides, he was determined that it wouldn't be the case at the moment.

She gave him a speculative look before she pressed her lips together and nodded her consent, making him breathe out a sigh of relief. She didn't notice it as she picked up her cup again, her hands much more steady now that the matter was settled to their mutual satisfaction.

“So when do we tell them?” she asked once she finished the coffee.

“I will.” Danny assured her, feeling a pang of guilt at the exhaustion clearly visible in her eyes and the palpable relief all too clear in the lines of her body. Seeing her so tired made him much more tender with her than he would have been and he found himself reaching out and putting a gentle hand on her forearm, making her look at him questioningly rather than the earlier shock she had displayed.

“Go home and rest. You have dealt with enough today. Take care of yourself. I'll drop off the boys when it's time. Let me take care of this for now, okay?”

Her mouth curled up in a small smile, making him remember her from a time before, when they had all of the future in front of them and the supernatural was just stories and movies. He felt a pang of sorrow at those times being long gone, but he quickly shoved it away. It was in the past and they had agreed it was for the best that they move on. She was happier now and he had to get there eventually, he supposed.

“Thank you. I'll do that. I'll go say goodbye to Carson and Cam and see myself out. “ She stood up, smoothed down her skirt and tilted her head to the kitchen were Giroux and Carbonneau were none too subtly waiting for him. “You still have much to do.”

Danny nodded as he too stood up and exchanged a look of subtle understanding before they both went their separate ways. Maybe he was horribly superstitious, but he didn't want to say goodbye just yet. He had a feeling that when he finally spoke the words out loud, they would be irretrievably permanent.

And even if it was all just a feeling...he wasn't going to fuck with it. He had stopped thinking that the world moved in accordance to rationality when he was sixteen.

So he took a deep breath and headed to the kitchen. No sense in delaying his life.

~*~*~*~*~

“I'm not doing it.” Gionta replied after Kesler had laid out all his plans to him over the phone.

“You don't have much of a choice, since you are part of my court, more or less.” Kesler replied crisply. Gionta shook his head, depite knowing full well that Kesler couldn't see him over the phone.

“That's pretty rich from a guy who has basically declared war on all the courts. I'm not doing what basically amounts to a suicide mission, pack ties be damned.” Gionta countered neutrally. Even though he knew that he could claim asylum from the East and hide his family away, he still wasn't going to take chances when it came to dealing with Kesler. He still hadn't figured out if the man was just insane or a volatile genius, and he wasn't about to take the risk of finding that out when he didn't have back up plans to his back up plans.

Even as he was speaking to Kesler, he was already sending messages to his family, the Eastern Pack, the Western Pack and the European collective. If he was going to die because he was refusing Kesler, he was going to damn well make sure that he wasn't going to go out without a messy and easily spotted trail to follow.

“Too bad that you see it as anarchy. I see it as a chance for our packs to get the ante on territories that should have been ours to begin with.” Kesler answered, letting Gionta's refusal slide by as if he hadn't heard it at all. “More freedom and more land for our pups and supporters. I would have figured it would have been something that you would have been behind.”

Gionta laughed, but there was no humour in his laughter. “Revolutions always sound good as ideas. They aren't as good when put into actual practice. I have to respectfully decline.”

Kesler only sighed at the refusal. “You got twenty-four hours. That's all I'm giving you, and if you do survive this and manage to crawl out of whatever rock you manage to hide under, count your breaths.”

Gionta didn't reply and instead ended the call. He stood there, feeling horribly numb despite knowing full well what the outcome was going to be of his refusal. But it was still shocking to him, nonetheless.

“How much time did he give you?” Roy asked him, his voice coming through as if both of them were underwater.

“A day.” He replied and it surprised him at how solid his voice sounded, despite having had a death sentence placed over his head.

“Good thing we move faster than him.” Sid muttered as he fiddled with his pen while LeClaire scribbled out more notes on his yellow legal pad.

Gionta nodded and swallowed hard. “You will keep them safe, won't you?”

Roy's jaw tightened and his son, whose hands had been flying over his laptop keyboard nodded.

“All taken care of. Just got word from the _Ulfric_ and the _Volk_ that all systems are in place if we need to hide more _loups_ or familiars. Even the Gypsies have offered to help.”

Gionta nodded and tried to smile, but his face wasn't co-operating. Despite feeling like a dead man walking, he knew that there had been no other path he could have possibly taken. Kane had, in his visions, seen blood and death. It was now up to all of them to minimize it.

And it was up to him to make sure that no one he knew or loved was going to end up there.

~*~*~*~*~

Kesler shook his head and put his phone down at the end of the conversation. He wasn't surprised that Gionta had said no. He was too attached to his family, despite being of a different species and too damned attached to that city. It had been worth a shot though. But now he had to turn to another avenue to achieve his objective and yes, he had expected it. It still didn't mean that it didn't piss him off something awful though.

He would deal with Gionta and his ilk later though.

Kesler picked up his phone and dialled a number he had scribbled on a sheet torn out of a notebook and waited for his call to be picked up. Although he also hated using independent contractors, he hadn't the manpower to branch out just yet. And at least these weren't subject to the whim of the moon or silver.

“Yeah?” The voice on the other end drawled out when the call connected.

“Any sign of our mutual friend?” Kesler asked as he ran his finger down the smooth varnish of his heavy mahogany desk.

“We got word that he crossed into New Jersey...but that's were the trail went cold. I'm waiting on some reports. One of my girls said she had seen a hit in Pittsburgh? Philly? I don't remember the exact place. One of those cities on the east there that could be something, or could be a long shot.”

“You know the routine. Just send it and stay in situ. I have a feeling you're going be going into action soon.”

A soft, chilling laugh was his answer and it was enough to even make him shudder.

“Excellent. We'll keep in touch.” Was all he got before the line went dead.

~*~*~*~*~

Marc-Andre picked up the phone that was ringing insistently on his bedside, accidentally smacking Kris in the face as he did so.

“Mmmhmmm.” Kris let out a sleepy groan and ineffectually batted him away before rolling over on his side without waking up completely.

“Allo?” Marc-Andre answered as he shuffled out of bed and into the kitchen as to not wake Kris up.

“Morning, Flower. It's Theodore. How are you?” Marc-Andre scrubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried to make his brain work to form a proper reply to the _loup_ on the other end.

“Not quite awake yet.” Marc-Andre replied as he sat down on the nearest kitchen chair, figuring that was the next best thing to coffee if he was going to get through this conversation.

“I'm sorry about that. I just need to know if you guys have found a trail or something for Carey?” 

Marc-Andre blinked at the question. “I think Kris found...hang on...didn't you say Shane thought he was dead?”

“He thought that until we got a report that Carey's SUV is gone and that the sticker on the bumper was ripped off. There were bloodstains on the driveway and that's why we put out the word.” Theodore explained as Marc-Andre tapped at the shared laptop and started searching for the report he dimly recalled Kris telling him about before they got ready for bed.

“Ah. Just give me a minute then...I'm looking for it as we speak.” He fell silent as he quickly searched through the data base. After a minute or so of clicking keys, he made a small sound of triumph.

“Found it. Sorry. It was almost a throwaway line from Coburn about Briere leaving in a hurry yesterday and coming back with a tall guy that was moving really slowly a couple of hours later.”

Jose hissed at the information. “You all need to clear out then. Get some stuff packed, take everything of value and start heading to the Enclave. Kesler's got agents everywhere and we'll be damned if we lose anyone.”

Marc-Andre swallowed hard at the sudden order and vehemence behind it.

“I'm dead serious, and you, out of anyone, should know that. We expect all of you within two days. That's an order, do you understand me?” Theodore's voice snapped the command through the lines and Marc-Andre, as reluctant as he was to leave, couldn't say no. 

“Yes.” Was all Marc-Andre could reply, since his mind had gone back to the last time conflict had broken out and yeah, maybe he was a coward, but the remembered agony of the torture he had undergone was enough of an incentive for him.

“Good. We shall see all of you soon. So contact Briere and Coburn and tell them to move out and fast. We don't need a repeat of the November War.” 

“I will.” Marc-Andre assured the 1st consort before they both exchanged goodbyes and ended the call.

Marc-Andre put the phone down on the table and looked down at his hands. They had healed well and if it wasn't for a few tinges of pain once in a while, he could almost believe that they hadn't been broken into pieces nearly two years ago. He hadn't had nightmares, despite the trauma, and he figured it was because Kris had helped him heal the psychological wounds of the attack.

And although he had come out of it fairly well one time, he knew that he wouldn't be so lucky again.

Steeling himself, he picked up his cell and made another call. It only rang for two times before a sleepy voice answered it, sounding much like he had just fifteen minutes ago.

“Coburn? It's Fleury. Get packed and get over to Briere's house. We need to leave.”

~*~*~*~*

“ _I am a little divided  
Do I stay or run away  
And leave it all behind?” Foo Fighters_

“ _Don't look, Paddy! Don't fucking look! Don't look!” Tazer screamed at him as he struggled in his mate's arms, which held him in place and blind against the bloody denouement of what would hopefully be the last war between the packs._

“ _Let go, Tazer! Let go! He was my friend! I owe him that much!” Kaner screamed back as he fought to get loose. “I owe him! I owe him!” His screams became hysterically loud, but they were lost in the cacophony of the rest of the packs mourning the sacrifice that ended the war._

 _He didn't know when he stopped screaming or fighting or crying. He only knew that he would have collapsed to the ground if it hadn't been for Tazer's arms holding him up._

“ _I know and I'm sure he knew too, that was why he made the sacrifice.” Tazer soothed him in a cracked voice that was clogged with unshed tears. “He knew and he still went ahead and did it and...”_

 _Kaner howled his anguish as he clung to his mate. “It's not fucking fair! It's not fucking fair!”_

“ _I know, Paddy. I know.” Tazer soothed him. “I know.”_

“ _It's not supposed to go this way, Tazer! He's supposed to go home to his family and-”_

“Fucking hell.” Kaner muttered as he sat bolt upright in the bed. His heart was still beating wildly and his eyes were still wet with the tears that he had been weeping in the vision. He knew it wasn't a dream. It was too clear and it made too much sense. And that scared him more than the other visions he had been having for the past month.

One of his close friends would have to die to end the war and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. Not until he got more pieces of the puzzle or fudged up some details. He would have to, or else someone would die. It would be an honourable death, true. But it still wouldn't negate the fact that his friend would die and leave so much sorrow behind.

“What's wrong? Paddy? Hey...why are you crying? What's wrong?”

Kaner didn't react to the question, worrying Tazer enough to sit up and wrap his arms around his mate. He held him until Kaner melted into his embrace and was able to calm down enough to answer.

“I just had another vision. About the war, about the end of it.” Kaner replied quietly.

Tazer swore softly at the calm statement. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Kaner shook his head and squirmed around so that he could bury his face into Tazer's broad chest.

“I'm scared, Jonny.” Kaner whispered after he came up for air and rested his cheek against Tazer's chest, letting his head be filled with the fast drumming of his mate's heart to chase the after-images and ease his fears. This, along with Tazer's gentle stroking of his hair, helped soothe and comfort him, even though the worst was yet to come. He was an adult, he knew how the world worked.

When the visions of death and destruction and blood started coming, he could hide the fear. They weren't happening to anyone he knew or anyone he was close to. He could be objective and stand apart.

But now that he knew he could lose a friend. A really close one, war became tangible and despite wanting to think he could face everything that it brought with him...his future had shown him otherwise.

“We all are. “ Tazer replied after a while. “No one can be brave all the time. And no one is made of stone. We're all scared. But we have the rest of you looking up at us, so we hide it better.”

Kaner snuffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

“So what do you do, when you can't hide it? When it's so overwhelming it paralyzes you?”

“You just keep going and stop thinking about anything else except getting through to the end.”

“What's at the end?” Kaner asked.

“You. My family. My friends.” Tazer replied, making a new wave of tears spill over Kaner's cheeks.

“Fucking hell, Jonny. Just...fucking hell.” Kaner repeated in a choked voice while Tazer rubbed circles on his back as he cried.

“It's cool, Paddy. It's cool.” Tazer whispered, his voice becoming a low murmur drowned out by Kaner's tears, which slowed down and finally dried up when Tazer gently lowered him onto the bed and held him until Kaner had calmed down enough.

He was about to pull away and start his day when Kaner grabbed his arm and kept him in place.

“Paddy...”

“Jonny... _please._ ” The plea was soft and he almost missed it. But he somehow caught it and instead moved towards Kaner.

Tazer kissed him and mapped out the lines of his body with his own until the fear was gone from his eyes. It was a temporary measure. They both knew that. But at that moment, it was what both of them needed.

~*~*~*~*~

“Christ fucking hell, you really are an asshole, Carbonneau. Seriously!” Danny shouted at the older _loup_ once Carbonneau had finished speaking.

“I may be that, but a debt is a debt, and I'm calling it in now.” Carbonneau replied, completely unfazed at either being shouted at and insulted. Giroux, for his part, looked sheepish and awkwardly embarrassed in the same way his pups used to look like whenever their mother accompanied them to hockey practice when they were younger. That their mother's presence was an insult to their supposed maturity, when in reality they were little more than a few years out of kindergarten and diapers.

“Didn't you see who I dragged in here half dead earlier? Or who was with you? I don't have the time or the resources to take him on!” Danny hissed as he gesticulated wildly, making Giroux have to take a step back before he got smacked in the face.

“Uh. Sorry and really no offence. I'm sure that you're a lovely pup, but it's not the best of times now.” Danny apologized to the other _loup_ who raised his hands and waved them, showing that he didn't take offence to Danny's outburst.

“You're going to have to make time. I need for him to be housebroken and fast.” Carbonneau replied crisply, his eyes going a dark stormy grey with emphasis.

Danny's eyes widened at the choice of language and wondered if Carbonneau's grasp on the English language had slipped, since he didn't get how he was going to “housebreak” a twenty-something-year- old _loup._ It wasn't as if he was a run-of-the-mill dog to be referred to as such.

“Uh...either way, don't you think that's kind of rude, saying that in front of the pup? He's not a house-dog.” Danny pointed out.

Carbonneau growled as he turned to look at Giroux, who had the decency to look ashamed.

“He might as well be, after what he's done.” He snapped out. Danny looked at him, and then at Giroux, and groaned inwardly when he finally noticed the bandages bound around the pup's neck.

“I can't have him running around without adult supervision. The clan whose shoes he pissed on is utterly furious with him and promised that if he showed up anywhere in his home region, they would do worse than muzzle him.”

Danny winced. He had heard about the practice, but never really had seen it done. He had heard of it, and had been threatened by it as a newly turned pup, but seeing it as a done deal was another matter altogether.

“He's got three months left before he gets unmuzzled, and he needs a baby-sitter during that time. You owe me, and I know what is going on. I'm not stupid. Kaner's seen almost everything. Why do you think I'm here?”

Carbonneau snapped at him. Danny only glared at him, avoiding looking at the mutilated Giroux, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in Danny's kitchen at that moment.

“To be an asshole and make my life miserable?” Danny replied tartly and Giroux turned away quickly lest Carbonneau saw his expression.

“That's part of the perks, but don't flatter yourself there. No. Giroux, apart from being a political nuisance, is also one of the best trackers and fighters that damned inbred hamlet has produced.” Giroux made a small mewling noise at that, clearly annoyed to have his birthplace referred to as such, but Carbonneau gave no indication that he had even heard him and continued speaking.

“So you had planned for Carey to show up here and complicate my life even further than necessary?” Danny asked, his voice deceptively soft as he crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. Carbonneau shook his head.

“No one planned for Price to show up. The only plan we had for the poor bastard was to find his body and bury it. The Pacific Pack is gone, Briere. I don't know exactly what he had time to tell you, but they are wiped out. Doan's mad with grief over Carey and won't believe that he's alive until he sees him with his own eyes. Which may not happen, since he's cried himself blind, it seems. _Loups_ are dead and clans are underground or hiding with the gypsies down south or the Coyotes and Pumas in the lower States.”

Carbonneau paused long enough to give Danny and Giroux enough time to digest all that he had given them and make them understand that this was not just a border skirmish that they were going to suppress.

“Kesler doesn't give a fuck who gets in his way. Nor does he give a fuck that the humans are starting to take notice. And it's a fucking relief to have him alive and I want to keep him this way. Giroux needs supervision and a chance to redeem himself of his stupidity. You see how it makes sense then?”

Danny flicked another look at Giroux, who was avoiding his eyes. He guessed that whatever the pup had done, it was bad enough to have gotten him exiled and the equivalent of a suicide mission in order to get his voice and standing back, and he wasn't going to find out what it exactly had been either.

He sighed and uncrossed his arms to run his fingers through his hair, which was as messy as fuck.

“Yeah. I get you. Makes sense. So what is the-” his quesion was interrupted by a loud and frantic banging that made him roll his eyes upwards before rushing to the door and flinging it open.

“Braydon? What's going on? Why are you here with...Letang? Fleury? What's up?”

Braydon's eyes were wide and Fleury was twitchier than Danny had ever seen him, while Letang was subtly scouting out the neighbourhood before they all barged into the house.

“We need to go to the Eastern Enclave and fast. The 1st Consort knows Price is here and that Kesler's got agents on his trail. He gave us a direct order to escort you both back to Montreal.” Fleury spilled out in a thickly accented rush that left Braydon and Letang blinking.

“Why did he say the East?” Carbonneau growled out as he entered the foyer area with Giroux following him like a shadow. Danny turned to look at him and blinked, still trying to digest the message that Fleury had delivered.

“The Western Enclave is too obvious of a choice for Kesler to send his agents, and it's just too damned close to the Midwest pack's territories. The War Council stated, and I quote, “We want Price safe and not bait.” End Quote.” Braydon replied as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

Danny swallowed hard. He had known that movement was coming. But he didn't think it was going to come that soon. Three days at the earliest was what he had been expecting. Not less than four hours.

“My pups are still here, as is their mother, and one's on the verge of metamorphosis. Not to mention that Price is still out and healing. I just can't get up and leave!” Danny shot back once everything had sunk in.

“Doesn't matter. Get her and the younger ones out and bring the one close to the shift. We've got it all sorted out, now move before it's-”

“GET THE FUCK DOWN!” Kris' shouted command interrupted Braydon as all of them followed suit and dropped to the hardwood.

And not a moment too soon, since the room exploded into a shower of broken glass and flames from the Molotov that had been hurled through the living room window.

Danny closed his eyes as he centered his body to go through the shift, his rage spilling over so much that he entered his second form without hesitation. Whoever was stupid enough to attack his home, his refuge, his pups and his guest was going to have hell to pay, and he was going to enjoy ripping them apart and feasting on their entrails. That was a given.

 _~*~*~*~*~_

“I'm seriously going to be careful about those chicks in bars, that's for sure.” Kris muttered as Danny stitched up a bullet graze on the side of his temple with the help of the overhead light in the SUV.

“Don't forget to tell Max also.” Fleury agreed as he kept on driving as if Satan himself was behind them all. Which technically, he was. Giroux was shirtless, and Braydon was just finishing smearing ointment on the worst of his burns and patching them up as well. The bandage around Giroux's neck had already been replaced, and Danny had to admit he was grateful he was busy stitching up Kris so he didn't have to deal with _that_ mess.

Kris snorted. “He's a fucking _renaud_. He can deal with that shit himself! Aaagrh!” Kris hissed out in pain as Danny accidentally tugged on the blue plastic thread as they went over a pretty deep pothole.

“Sorry. Braydon, when was the last time you had your shocks checked?” Danny asked the quiet loup who was wiping his blood-and soot-stained face with a wet wipe.

“Uh...last winter or something? Does it really matter at this point in time?” Braydon snapped as he got himself as clean as he could without a shower.

“It's Dad's M.O. Ask irrelevant questions at the most inappropriate times.” Caelan muttered as he looked out the window, despite it being pitch-black outside as they drove up the state highway towards Canada.

“Shut your trap, kid.” Carey's voice came from the back. “After fighting the puckbunny brigade of doom and nearly getting my intenstines ripped out, I'm not in the mood to hear anyone's beaking. Got that?”

Caelan's shoulders hunched at being called out by the most powerful Alpha in the vehicle, and even though Danny's instincts were to snap at Carey and protect his pup, his _loup_ nature overrode his parental desires. He would also have to get used to that situation if this little road trip lasted longer than the next moon cycle. Carey was the one who would have to do the first blooding and claim him into his pack once the adult metamorphosis was completed.

Thinking that far into the future made Danny dizzy and his hands shake slightly. He had known that it was coming. For all three of his pups. But he had always assumed that they would have been in their late teens, like he was, and that he would be the one to blood them and take them into the Eastern Pack to keep their family lines together. He had been assured that no one would take that right away from him.

But with Carey being their _de facto_ Alpha, he would be the one to take that duty. And by default, tie himself to the Briere line for as long as they all lived. Something that Danny now had to come to grips with in too short of a time. Which was his weakness. He never liked surprises, and he never liked being rushed and pushed into making a decision or accepting changes. It just wasn't _him._ And now he had to do it and suck it up and hide his real emotions over the fact that his house was gone, his family was split up, and his pup was no longer his own pup.

“ _Briere, you can also shut the fuck up and save the damned self-pity for later and suck it up, princess. Now make yourself useful and finish Tanger off so you can cross-stitch me again. One of those bitches made me break at least two rows of stitches.”_

Danny's head shot up and he turned to glare at Carey, who was very deliberately smirking at him. Danny scowled at him and Carey only leisurely raised his hand and flipped him the bird.

“ _Great. He just had to be one of the telepathic ones in the pack. Fucker.”_ Danny thought to himself as he found himself doing exactly as he was bid, despite wanting to rip out Carey's throat. It was a direct command, and he had no defence against it. 

Sometimes, he really fucking hated being a    
_loup_   
. It was almost as bad as being a short guy among giants. 

“ _Fuck my life.” He muttered as he stitched up the last of Tanger's injury. This was going to be a very long road trip indeed._

“ _Quit whining, Briere. We're alive. Your pups are alive, and we're heading to safety and wouldn't you like to know if I really am one or not?”_ Danny could almost _see_ the smirk that would accompany the words, but didn't take the bait and look up. This was going to suck, and once they got to Montreal he was going to do his best to forget this noise and move on.

And that was only if they managed to survive another battalion of puckbunnies.

“Fantastic.” Danny muttered, making Carey laugh in the back.

Yep. He should have stayed in bed today.

~0~0~0~0~

“You know that I don't have a sense of humour, so you'd better not be joking when you tell me that four Betas, one pup, a muzzled feral and two Alphas managed that much damage in the span of two hours.” 

“Do you think that I would joke about that? They were my best weapon! And they tore them to shreds! To fucking shreds! Do you know how long it will take to train a new squad up?”

Kesler pinched the bridge of his noise as he half-listened to the rant on the other end.

“Yeah, yeah. You lost a bunch of bunnies. I get that. Anything good to come out of this conflagaration though? I paid good money, so I can't be inclined to be the goody bag at your pity party for long.” Kesler interrupted the mercenary, who although wanted to reach into the telephone and strangle Kesler, managed to keep his anger down and answer the question.

“Carbonneau's dead. Does that count as good news for you?”

~*~*~**~*

“ _Somebody to take you out  
Somebody to show you how  
Somebody to treat you  
Somebody to love  
but wait..” Emily Haines_

“This could be a very bad sign.” Ryan muttered to himself as he turned to look at the map of the Northeastern United States he had pinned on the corkboard earlier and tried to pinpoint where exactly Price, Briere and the rest of them would be at this time.

“ _We got out. Heading North. Will contact you when we get to Massachussetts.”_ This had been the last message that Braydon had sent from his Iphone before going completely off line. Ryan, Sid and Richards had tried contacting them numerous times, but so far, no answer. 

It had been almost two days since the mercenaries had attacked the Briere household and although the death of Carbonneau had been a huge blow on so many different levels, there was no time to mourn the old    
_loup_   
properly. Although the crisis had been averted and the Gypsies had swept in and quickly moved the Briere pups and their mother to a safe house in Catalunya or Castile and Leon (He honestly couldn't figure out which one, since Torres had been doing the translation at a pretty fast clip for Ramos and Casillas as they had made the arrangements) along with Gionta's family, there were still fires to put out.

And the biggest fire that needed tending was getting The Pacific Co-Alpha in a safe place. It was no secret that Kesler wanted Carey's head on a pike. Or Doan's. And failing at getting that, in a gilded cage, broken and docile. Until he got either of these things, none of the    
_loups_   
would accept him as the Alpha of the territory he was trying to annex. And with Carey's even deeper connections to the Pacific Northwest and their loyalty to his clan, Kesler had no choice but to make sure Carey was out of the picture.

And if Carey fell, it would be almost next to impossible to win. Especially when the Pacific    
_loups_   
had no Alpha to fight for. 

Ryan sighed and rubbed his face roughly. He needed coffee or sleep, whichever one offered the best relief for his tired brain. He had just turned away from the map when he came face to face with Sheldon holding two mugs of gently steaming coffee.

“Can't offer you sleep as of yet, but I can give you the next best thing.” Sheldon told him as he handed him one of the mugs and stood next to his _2_ nd Consort and studied the map.

“Thanks, love. Much appreciated.” Ryan replied, and wrinkled his nose when he realized how much Sheldon and Theo's mannerisms had rubbed off on him ever since they had all mated. He then had to wonder what he had brought to their union. He took a long swallow and closed his eyes as he savoured the hazelnut coffee with just the right amount of cream and brown sugar to make it a decadent treat,

“Focus and calmness. Theo's not so twitchy anymore, and I think you should stop looking at the map and stop guessing where they are at.” Sheldon replied as he moved closer to his mate and touched their foreheads together. Altough it was a small contact, it made all the difference in how Ryan was feeling.

They hadn't been able to actually _be_ together for what seemed like years and had had to snatch moments here and there as they worked to stop Kesler. Even though the threat had started half a month before, it already seemed that they had been ready for war for years. And like it or not, it was taking its toll, both physically and emotionally.

He opened his eyes when Sheldon took the mug away from him and put it on top of the filing cabinet standing next to the map. His own mug quickly followed suit as he then cupped Ryan's face in his hands before he leaned in and kissed Ryan.

“Oh God.” He whispered against Sheldon's lips. “Oh God...I've missed this.”

“I've missed it too.” Sheldon replied as he moved them towards the unused corner table where Ryan usually threw his coat when he came into his office at the enclave.

“Is it a good idea?” Ryan asked breathlessly as Sheldon lowered him onto his coat.

Sheldon raised an eyebrow at the question. “Since when is making love to you a mistake?”

Ryan laughed softly. “Never.”

Sheldon nodded. “There's your answer. Now shut up and let me love you, Millsy.”

Ryan didn't reply and only tilted his face up to receive Sheldon's kiss, which was deep and soft and made him forget anything else not related to his mate and Alpha. The kiss deepened and Ryan found himself arching into Sheldon's body, savouring the heaviness of him and the hardness digging into his thigh. He moaned, a deep sound, when Sheldon's hand snaked its way into his pants and underwear. Ryan gasped when Sheldon pulled away and started to gently suck on his neck, kissing and licking the skin. Ryan's gasp turned into a keen when Sheldon's hand wrapped itself around his cock, his thumb deep in the slit, teasing precome out of it.

“Oh God! Oh God!” Ryan cried out when Sheldon used the precome as lube to ease the friction of his hand as he moved it up and down. Sheldon quickly found a rhythm, making Ryan writhe against his Alpha as he came closer to his climax. Sheldon groaned deeply and his rhythm and kisses became erratic as his own hips bucked and jerked against Ryan's thigh as he sought the friction needed to get his own release.

Ryan didn't know or care if they would be found out. Sheldon's body, his hand and his cock were all that mattered at the moment. Sheldon was surrounding him, enveloping him in all senses of the word and he didn't want it to stop. He even tried to hold off his release, but when he felt Sheldon stiffen, he was completely lost in the familiar tightening of his balls and the colourful supernova behind his clenched shut eyelids.

Once it was over and their shouts were hoarse and mingled with each other, Sheldon fell heavily on Ryan. They stayed like that for several minutes until Sheldon rolled onto his side and pulled Ryan into a post-coital embrace.

“ _Sleep.”_ Sheldon murmured and Ryan obediently closed his eyes and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

~*~*~*~*~

“So when are we going talk about what happened back there?” Braydon asked the second evening after they had escaped what was clearly an assassination attempt from Kesler.

“What is there to talk about? We got ambushed, we fought. Carbonneau covered our retreat, and we're safe, and the old wolf is dead. He gave us the chance to keep on going, and everyone that needed to be safe is safe. Nothing more to say or do except keep going to Montreal.” Letang replied heavily as he pulled his heavyweight hoodie tighter against his body. Despite the fire crackling merrily in front of them, none of them seemed to be able to get warm. No matter how much wood they threw into the fire, it was the same as if they didn't have a fire burning.

“Kris is right. We already decided what the plan is. We keep our eyes open, and we keep going North. There's nothing else that needs to be said, really.” Marc-Andre spoke up, making everyone turn and look at him. Which had the effect of making him turn beet red and look into the bushes to his right.

Claude was out scouting the perimeter and making sure that there were no threats on the horizon. Even if he was one of the ones sitting around the fire, he couldn't have joined in. And this frustrated him more than he could express, since he could only fully communicate with Carey. Marc-Andre could only pick up slight thoughts as could Braydon. Letang was utterly baseline and Danny, despite being down as having telepathy, simply couldn't pick up anything. Caelan was still an unknown until he fully matured into his adult form and powers. And even if his father registered as such, it didn't mean he would have the same secondary powers.

Carey shrugged one of his shoulders, his head down as he looked at the gashes that bristled with stitches all over his abdomen. Everyone winced, and Caelan had to look away. Even though everyone knew that he would heal and the stitches would drop off in a few days, it was still unnerving to see the black thread over what had been smooth, pale skin.

“Carbonneau's an Elder and that's all we're going to say?” Braydon asked, his voice thin and high-pitched with what Danny could see was incipient hysteria.

“For now, yes. We have to keep moving and we have to hunt. It's the last thing he said, and we're going to obey, Coburn. Just as you said, he's an Elder. So you listen to the Elders.” Carey replied in a calm voice, his eyes still on his stitches as he did so.

“Yeah, but-” Braydon tried to interrupt him, but he quickly backed down when Carey raised his head and just _looked_ at him. It probably was a very brief look that Carey gave the other _loup_ , but for the rest of them, it seemed to last a century before it was broken off and Braydon nodded and walked off into the nearest clump of trees.

“He'll be okay. Just leave him alone for a few minutes. Besides, Giroux's out there and he knows his job.” Carey told the rest of the group as he zipped up the hoodie he was wearing to hide the ruin of his abdomen.

They sat in silence for a long while, no one daring or wanting to break the neutral silence that had descended onto their group. It probably would have lasted longer if it hadn't been for Caelan's sharp whine of pain when he got up to take care of business.

“What is it?” Danny asked his son as he rushed over to him, trying to figure out why Caelan was straightening his back out and clawing at the bottom of his shirt and at the top of his jeans. Danny moved closer and yanked the shirt up and the jeans down, not caring that Caelan gave a loud squawk of embarrassment at being exposed to the rest of the _loups_.

“What the fuck?!” His exclamation was loud enough to bring Kris and Flower over to look at what had shocked Danny enough to swear.

“Oh! His tail's coming in!” Marc-Andre exclaimed as he pushed a completely shocked and numb Danny out of the way a bit to look at the ripped spot of skin and the naked, wiggling protusion that was working its way through Caelan's skin.

Danny's mouth worked, but he couldn't form any words. It was as if his brain had just shut down at the sight of his son's lower spine and back shifting, pulsing and ripping apart, centimeter by centimeter as a tail, an honest to goodness _tail,_ was forming before their very eyes.

Danny understood now why Caelan had been at first snippy (until Carey had put him in his place) and then quiet and had spent most of the twenty hour drive moving in his seat and trying to not let his back touch the backrest any longer than it had to. His pup was growing a tail. A step in _loup_ development no one had mentioned before. Or thought of mentioning.

And despite wanting to hold his son and soothe his pains away, he couldn't find anything in his mind that would be useful. And that froze and scared Danny enough to watch his son as Caelan went through another change that Danny couldn't walk him through. That he was helpless while his son suffered, and there was nothing he could do. He was facing a parent's worst nightmare, and his mind was simply blank.

“Are you for real?” Caelan asked as he turned his head to look at the wiggling appendage that had grown to two inches since they started looking at it. “Holy shit! Is that thing for real? I'm getting a fucking _tail_?!” Caelan all but squawked.

“Yeah, you're getting a tail. It kind of sucks at first, but it gets better. I got mine when I was fifteen at a tournament. It was embarrassing, having to come up with excuses for the blood on my sheets. And then hiding it! God!” Letang shook his head at the memory.

“It hurts!” Caelan almost howled as he squirmed and tried to reach for his stubby tail.

“Caelan! Don't! You could break it and that would be fucking worse!” Marc-Andre exclaimed as he grabbed Caelan's arms and held them in one hand, while he wrapped his other arm around the squirming boy, and effectively pinned Calean against his body to keep him still.

“Dad! It hurts! It hurts! It-Aaaargh!” Caelan's cries were cut short by a scream of agony that didn't _quite_ cover the sickening sound of bone crunching and skin tearing as the tail finally ripped free from Caelan's spine to grow to its full length of three feet. His back arched and if it hadn't been for Marc-Andre holding him, he would have collapsed to the forest floor.

“What the fuck happened?” Braydon yelled as he and Giroux came back to the clearing and took the scene in of Caelan sobbing in agony, his tail covered in effluvia and blood and slowly twitching back and forth, while Danny rushed towards his son, his eyes yellow as instinct took over to stop his son's distress.

“Caelan! God! Caelan! Give me my son! Give him to me!” He screamed at Marc-Andre, who held onto Caelan and stepped back, shaking his head at the same time.

“Danny, calm down, all right? Just calm down. Calm the fuck down, Briere.” Braydon ordered him as he and Letang stepped in front of the almost maddened wolf. Briere snarled at the young pup, his face elongating into a muzzle as he tried to get at his pup, who was still squirming and crying in distress, his tail still moving weakly back and forth as the appendage was slowly recognized by Caelan's brain.

“Flower's not going to hurt him, Danny. He just wants to help. He's been through it before. He knows what to do if you let him. He doesn't want to hurt your pup. No one wants to hurt the pup, allright?” Letang spoke slowly and carefully, making sure that he and Braydon provided a screen in case Danny _did_ decide to attack. Even if Danny meant to protect Caelan and stop the agony of the change, he would end up harming his own son rather than helping him, since he wouldn't know what the pup needed. Not the way that Letang, Giroux, Braydon, Flower and Carey did.

Letang got a growl instead, Danny's transformation having gone far enough to make him unable to speak. Already, he was crouching down, his body re-arranging its structure with a series of snaps and crunches that should have ordinarily been extremely painful to him; but went unregistered by him as he prepared to take back his pup and ease his pain.

“Briere...no. Get ahold of yourself man! There's no danger here to anyone! No one wants to hurt your pup. He's in pain and scared, but it will be okay. We can help him. But you need to calm the fuck down, all right? Just calm the fuck _down_.” Letang repeated as he raised his hands and slowly approached Danny. His eyes were just slightly rimmed with gold and even though Danny was shifting rapidly, Letang was a born _loup_ and could fluidly change in the blink of an eye if he needed to.

In response, Danny snarled and leapt, despite being only half shifted into a hybrid of his human and _loup_ form. Letang growled as he too leapt up and they clashed into a tangle of limbs and fur. Marc-Andre yipped and pulled Caelan back, keeping the pup's face pressed up into his chest and not allowing him to look, even if he had been inclined to. His tail coming in had taken it all out of him, and he was so deeply in shock that Marc-Andre was the only thing keeping him from a dead faint.

Braydon too stepped back, keeping his body between the fighting _loups_ and Marc-Andre. Although he wanted to jump in and stop the skirmish, he knew that neither _loup_ would forgive him if he did. So he watched for his chance to jump in.

But Giroux had no such compuctions and immediately jumped into the fray, aiding Letang, who was starting to falter against the ferocity of Danny's onslaught. He managed to snap at Danny enough to let a bloody Letang make his getaway towards Marc-Ande and Caelan, who were standing frozen as Marc-Andre tried to figure out whether to stay or go. When he saw Letang stumbling towards them, half-shifted and in pain, he moved towards the SUV, opened the door, deposited Caelan in carefully and literally threw Letang inside before slamming the door shut. This enraged Danny further into his shifting and into his determination to protect his pup.

Braydon shifted and entered the battle when Giroux let out a choked whine and collapsed into a heap as he favoured his left foreleg. Braydon and Danny squared off then, two wolves a shade smaller than Shetland ponies and twice as vicious.

Braydon was a Western Pack soldier and should have had the advantage, but Danny had lost himself into a berserker rage that gave him sheer ferocity and strength that Brayden had problems matching. He also didn't want to hurt Danny, but the way he was going for his neck and belly with his snapping jaws and flailing limbs wasn't giving him much choice. Letting out a growl, Braydon went all out. He leapt onto Danny's back and latched onto his neck, clamping his jaws down on his snout and pressing down.

Danny gave muffled yips and growls and tried to roll over Braydon, but the extra weight on his back was making it impossible to do so. He wove drunkenly through the trees until he hit jackpot and swung his entire body and crushed Braydon between himself and the trunk of the tree. Braydon gasped and let go, his ribs in agony at the crush, his breath coming in short pants as he fell to the ground.

He closed his eyes when he saw Danny padding towards him. He was done for, that was obvious. He couldn't get enough breath to stand up, and face him and he didn't expect any mercy from Danny. He was simply too far gone, andhe was sure that at least three of his ribs were cracked. If he was going to protect Price, he had to be in top form. And alive as well.

Danny growled softly as he walked back towards the fallen _loup_. He couldn't get at his pup, fine. He would make them regret taking his pup away from him. He snarled, showing all his teeth before he leapt in for the kill.

But he was intercepted by a jet black wolf that was simply massive in size. He slammed Danny into the ground and forced him down by both pinning him down and clamping tightly on his neck without delay.

Danny snarled and attempted one last shot of defiance before Carey finally spoke.

“ _That's enough! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!”_ The shout made everyhone in the hollow reel back and not want to do anything but remain perfectly still. All except for Danny, who was still angry and wanting to strike back, the compulsion and the backlash having had no effect on him. For the rest, the backlash simply knocked them out cold. Although they wouldn't have any lookouts, anyone in the vicinity would be out at the moment as well. Especially if they were run of the mill humans. Or _loup_ Betas and Gammas.

Danny whinged and arched his back and tried to find purchase with his hind legs to buck Carey off. But Carey had anticipated this manouver and put his full weight into it, sinking the lighter and smaller wolf down flat on the forest floor.But that simply served to make him angrier, and he squirmed and buckled until finally fed up, Carey opened his jaws wider and clamped down fast and hard around Danny's throat.

Danny whined and jerked his head, his intent being getting free from Carey's grip. He didn't intend for Carey's sharp canines to rip open his throat and flood Carey's mouth with arterial blood.

“ _Oh. Oh...that was why...”_

Danny stopped thrashing and laid still when he realized that it wasn't just the projected thoughts of Carey that he was listening to, loud and clear, but to the emotions that had bled in somehow as well.

“ _I want this...and this is how it all happens? Wow...”_

“ _I'm not going to do this...not when I just found you. Not when it's...oh fucking shit...Kaner...why the hell did you have to be right?”_

The last thought was flooded wth a mixture of wonderment and sadness that were simply too much for him to take, and when oblivion came, Danny followed without any hesistation.

~*~*~*~*~ _“Gimme sympathy, when all of this is gone.  
Ah, but seriously, you're going to make mistakes you know.” Metric_

 __Carey sat back on his heels, his mouth stained with blood and his eyes wide as he looked down at Danny, who was lying still with his eyes rolling in the back of his head while Braydon and Tanger stopped him from bleeding to death. He knew he should help or clear out or do something rather than just sitting there, with his mouth full of the taste of Danny's blood. But he was simply frozen in shock at what had just happened between them. He just couldn't believe that Danny, the plodder, the even-tempered librarian, the forgettable one, was his fated mate.

“Son of a bitch.” Carey whispered and had to bite his lip from laughing, since he was pretty damned close to losing it, and he was sure if he did there was no way that he would have been able to possibly rein it in.

“Carey, hey, you okay?” Carey blinked at Marc-Andre, who was looking at him warily, as if he was expecting for Carey to lose it and come after him. He would have thought that would have been a bit of an over-reaction if that hadn't just happened with Danny.

“No. Not really.” Carey replied as he wiped his mouth with his forearm and stood up. “How are they?”

Marc-Andre watched him and kept a respectful distance, even after he was handing Carey the spare clothes that all loups kept in their cars just in case.

“Caelan's asleep and we splinted his tail. Danny's healed up. He's just going to need to sleep it off. So seriously, are you okay?” Marc-Andre asked again, his tone calm and conversational as he spoke.

Carey sighed and shook his head, then pulled on the track bottoms and hoodie that Marc-Andre had handed him. Once he was dressed, he ran his hands through his hair before he finally answered Marc-Andre.

“Danny's my mate. I just...I...don't know what to do now. He's my mate and having tasted it in his blood, it's just fucking obvious...and I can't do that to him. I just can't.” Carey finished brokenly.

Marc-Andre's mouth fell open at the words. “Why not? I mean...if he's your mate...why wouldn't you? Why would you risk putting yourself and him through that pain? He must know it, since you tasted him!Carey grimaced. “I know. I know! But it's...it's really fucked up.” >Marc-Andre raised an eyebrow. “Mating's never straight forward. It's not ever convenient. But being intentionally cruel to someone when you know that they're the one for you, the one that gets you is? You think it was easy for me and Tanger? We were thirteen when we found out and we stuck it out. What's your excuse for not going through with it?”

Carey bit his lip before he looked at Marc-Andre, his eyes a bright green as he did so. This made the other loup gulp and bare his neck in apology. Despite his indignation, as a Beta, there were lines he couldn't cross with an Alpha. This time had been one of them and as an Alpha, Carey had the right to rip out his throat if he so pleased.

Carey sighed and punched him across the face. Even with it pulled, he still made Marc-Andre stumble back a bit. He waited until Marc-Andre had gotten himself together before the conversation continued.

“Kaner's visions, for one thing. He's seen the end of all this. He saw the Pacific Pack being destroyed and Kesler's plans. He also saw me coming here. But not whether I would be alive or dead. He also saw that I would find my mate here...and how I would lose him. “ Carey paused and smiled bitterly, making Marc-Andre feel even worse about his words and actions prior to the Alpha's answer. He opened his mouth, but closed it once he realized that there was nothing he could really say to ease the situation. Carey gave him a slight nod before he continued his explanation.

“There's no happy ending for us. Danny will die if we mate. So don't fucking talk to me about excuses, you little pretentious prick. You'd do the same if you were in my position. Alive and unreachable is better than dead and loved.”

Marc-Andre flinched, but inclined his head in acknowledgement. Carey sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

“You and Tanger take care of Giroux and Coburn. I'll take him, since we know what will happen once Caelan wakes up and goes into the next phase.”

Marc-Andre nodded and went towards the rest of the loups, who had huddled by the vehicle and were pretending to be absorbed in other tasks when it was obvious that they had heard every word.

Carey pinched the bridge of his nose again before looking down at Danny, who had been patched up and had been covered in a light camping blanket. A bag of supplies was lying nearby. Sighing heavily, Carey bent down to look at it and was pleased to see that it had everything they would need for two days.

“Fuck this noise.” He muttered before he hefted Danny over his shoulder, picked up the bag and went deeper into the woods.

~*~*~*~*~ Jose pushed up his reading glasses as he frowned at the reports in front of him. So far, Kesler was being quiet and Kaner wasn't being plagued by visions. And this made Jose nervous, since he just knew that it was simply the calm coming before the storm. He had said as much to Tazer and Millsy and they had both agreed. Shel...Shel hadn't said anything. Just smiled sadly before he had kissed his shoulder and gotten out of bed to go out on patrol with Doan, who had pushed his grief away long enough to take his old position as Sheldon's captain, before the Pacific Pack had even been thought of.

“Have you gone to bed at all?” Jose looked up to see Jonathan Roy standing in the doorway of his office and two mugs of heavily creamed and sugared tea in his hands.

Jose frowned at the question. Had he gone to bed? He really didn't remember when he and Shel had woken up together. Had it been just this morning or yesterday? He wasn't quite sure.

Jonathan snorted as he walked in and placed the mug down carefully on the only clean spot on the overcrowded desk.

“If you can't remember, then maybe you should get your ass to bed, _coeur_.” Jonathan told him as he grabbed the nearest empty chair and sat down to drink his tea. “It's been quiet. That's a pretty good thing, to be honest. No skirmishes to put down, no sightings, nothing. Take the breather while you can. We will have to fight soon enough.”

Jose sighed, picked up the mug and took a deep swallow that made him close his eyes in pleasure as the sweetned, creamy tea filled him with warmth he hadn't realized how desperately he had needed till then. He swallowed and opened his eyes again to give Jonathan a rueful smile.

“I just...I worry. A hell of a lot. This isn't at all like the November Wars. Kesler is vicious and he means to carve an empire by all means necessary. And if Carey falls into his hands...it's not going to be pretty at all.” Jose finished quietly, wincing at the possible implications of Carey landing in Kesler's hands. They had heard the stories and seen the half-eaten and mangled bodies. They knew what Kesler was capable of once he put his mind to it, and none of it was pretty.

“And it wasn't as if he managed to stroll away from the last encounter either. This time...with Briere and his pup and Giroux...not to mention Flower in the mix...” He sighed heavily and drank more of the tea down in an effort to calm himself. Jose had been so agitated that it was a big surprise to him when Jonathan put his mug down, walked over to him, and wrapped his arms around him.

“Briere patched Price up and you forget that Giroux, despite being muzzled, is the best of his clan. Coburn too. Briere may be a librarian, but he can fight when the time calls for it. Tanger and Flower may be a bit twitchy, but we know they work well in tandem. Even with the pup, they can hold their own if need be. I'm convinced they can, since they decimated the puckbunny brigade.” Jonathan reminded him, smirking slightly, even though he knew how much of a headache that little incident had given the packs as they scrambled to concoct a cover story for the conflagaration afterward.

Jose made a sound of agreement deep in his throat as he leaned back into Jonathan's chest and soaked up the warmth of the younger loup'sembrace. He had forgotten how good it was to just relax in the arms of a trusted confidant and not think about anything. To just stay in the moment and forget about what had happened and what was looming on the horizon. Yes, there was a war coming. Yes, they were missing an Alpha. But Jonathan was right. It was out of their hands for the time being.

“You're right. It's just...” Jose tried to verbalize his concerns, but Jonathan cut him off before he could finish.

“We're not weak, Theo. We're not the same as we were during the November Wars.” Jonathan whispered harshly, his arms tightening around Jose as he spoke. “They're not going to touch us again. We're Alphas now. They won't find it easy if they dare.”

The last is said in voice that's little more than a vicious, soft snarl that made Jose shiver slightly. If he didn't know Jonathan as well as he had gotten to know him during those early spring months of last year, he would have pulled away and fast. Although it scared him, he could understand the sentiment perfectly. After years of being a victim and finally getting dignity and freedom, there was no way that he'd give them both up easily. And he was damned sure that he would do anything to never be in that position again.

Even kill.

“It's not going to happen. To either of you.” Sheldon promised roughly, Millsy and Sharpie's agreement a firm, yet quiet echo along his words.

Jonathan let go of Jose as Shel, Millsy and Sharpie entered the room and went to their mates. Jonathan let go of Theo and went over to Sharpie, who looked at him briefly before he forcefully pulled Jonathan into his arms. Sharpie then buried his nose into the juncture of Jonathan's neck while his fingers gripped Jonathan's hair tightly. All of this Jose noticed in a split second before Shel and Millsy did the same to him.

 _“Why didn't you say anything?”_ Shel asked him telepathically as he licked Theo's neck, making him shiver with both pleasure and the residual tingle that telepathic communication with his Alpha brought him. Millsy murmured something and did the same to the other side, pushing him nearly to his pleasure threshold and nearly making him collapse to the floor. Although he was sure that if he hadn't been held up by his two mates, it would have most certainly happened.

 _“And for the love of God, if you say it wasn't important, I will smack you one. Don't ever fucking think that you or Millsy are unimportant. Ever_. _I'd rather lose a war and go into exile than to lose you or Millsy.”_ Sheldon told him, his words heated with passion that made him throw his head back and moan at the weight of his words.“I know. Oh God Shel, _Je t'aime. Je le sait. Je le sait_.” Jose murmured as Sheldon kissed him hard and frantically as if by his touch, he could dispel their fears.

It wasn't possible, but they sure as hell were willing to try.

~*~*~*~  
It wasnt the same as waking up with a hangover, but it was pretty damned close. Especially the being poked and prodded to wake up when he really didn't want to.

“Unnnghhmmm _...lache-moi_.” Danny murmured as he batted away the hand that kept shaking him.

“Not a fucking chance. We gotta get going. Now get the hell up!” Carey hissed right in his ear, making him wake up right away. There was simply no middle ground once his Alpha had spoken, he was out of sleep and into consciousness with a wicked headache and what felt like a sore throat.

He sat up and rubbed the remnants of sleep away from his eyes and looked up when a shadow fell over him. It was Carey, wearing a mismatched hoodie and track bottom set while holding out a big, sweaty bottle of cold water to him along with a packet of painkillers.  
Danny blinked and gratefully took the water and the packet and swallowed the pills and drank the water greedily to get rid of the pain and the dry-mouth.

“Thanks.” Danny said after he had downed practically half of the bottle. Carey nodded and pulled up a fallen log to sit down on, his expression a mixture of ruefulness, awkwardness and something that Danny couldn't quite catch, since he was still without the full use of his brain at the moment.

“What's your ranking, Briere?” Carey asked, his voice low and soft, making Danny's brain immediately make the jump from half-alseep to fully awake. And to realize that there was a bandage around his neck and he was only wearing a camp blanket. Although he had worn worse in his time, he couldn't help the blush that rose in his face, which he was sure probably went down to his chest. He coughed a bit and pulled the blanket close to himself and tried to not be as mortified at the situation.

His mouth was suddenly dry again at the question, and he had to drink more water in order to actually answer Carey and tamp down the feeling that he was treading some dangerous ground right there. He wasn't proud of what had happened last night, even though at the time he had felt justified in fighting for his pup and he was willing to not aggravate the situation further with any thoughtless behaviour or answers that could have been misconstrued by Carey.

“Beta, with a less than 50 percent potential of maturing into an Alpha.” Danny replied tersely.

He never did like to remember that day and those words. Despite being delivered with kindness, they had ensured that he would always be lesser than. He was too small to be an outstanding hockey player as a human. Now as a loup, he was simply too weak to be anything but on the outside ranks of the courts, and unable to make his own decisions and having to roll over and follow the whims of any Alpha he came across. It had taken him a very long time to get over the sting, but the original hurt had never really gone away. Even with Marty there...it had still stung like a bitch.

Carey's mouth lifted up in a half smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and he shook his head. He didn't reply to Danny right away and muttered something so low under his breath that Danny couldn't catch, even though he did try.

“When was it done?”

“When I first got bitten. Sixteen, seventeen. Why does it matter?” Danny asked quietly.

“It matters because you got lied to. It matters because your pups are going to follow in your footsteps and it matters because you're going to be my mate. And we're both going to destroy the world as we know it.” Carey replied softly.

~*~*~*~*~

“ _When the lights go out,_

 _Will you take me with you?” My Chemical Romance_

Kesler was glaring at his laptop as he skimmed the terse reply that he had just received through email and had to stifle the urge to hurl the damned machine against the wall in his anger.

“ _No one has been able to find Price and his little entourage. They've been spotted in a few campsites, but when we sweep the place...it's like a dampening field or something has surrounded the place. The humans are useless and the cougars and pumas disappeared in the night. We're on our own until they surface. So if you're planning a battle, then be ready as soon as they cross the border.”_

He wanted to say that he hadn't seen that coming, but he wasn't about to start lying to himself, much less to anyone. He knew that the cougars and pumas would flake out when the time came for a manhunt. Especially when they figured out that a pup was involved. They were squeamish about attacking pups and he had to admit that he didn't blame them for that. If Price had planned that, Kesler was going to raise his glass to him and give him his dues.

But it made for another snag in his plans that he needed to rectify as soon as possible.

“Fucking shit.” Kesler swore as he closed the email and walked around his office. He cracked his knuckles as he looked out the window. It wasn't as if he was working on a schedule, since he had proven brutal enough for the Pacific pack to not get enough backbone to rebel against him. But he needed to get Carey or Doan under his thumb to break the tribes in the mountains and the islands.

He wasn't for losing manpower since there were so few born loups to begin with, and he would much rather have them accept his rule. But he knew that wouldn't be the case with the Pacific pack if Carey's defiant expression, even when he was so close to death, was anything to go by. They would fight till the last one of them was dead.

Kesler frowned as he walked back to his laptop and pulled up Google Maps to continue his plotting of Price's possible route. If he was estimating correctly, they should be quite close to upstate New York if they were making good time. His mouth curled up into a smile. Although it was damned close to the border, he was sure that he could spin out a surprise for them and hopefully get all his objectives met with little effort expended.

~*~*~*~*

Ryan was lying awake in bed with Shel's arm curled loosely around his waist and Jose's back pressed against his side when the third morning of the official war dawned. Although sleep had already come and gone for him, he couldn't get out of bed just yet. He didn't want to move away from the warmth and comfort that being close to his mates brought him. Not to mention that this was the only time they truly got to spend together, since Kesler had ramped up his attacks across the border and all available fighters were being sent out to the front lines. Sheldon had to be there co-ordinating the rushes and skirmishes, and Theo had to plan the tactical attacks. He was under Tazer's command and away from his Alpha and consort for days at a time.

He also hated to admit it, but he didn't _quite_ know how he was going to deal with havng Briere and Price in the Enclave. Not to mention the fact that they were fighting to keep them alive and out of Kesler's hands. He hadn't really thought about that part before. But the last time that his division had been on patrol in yet another fruitless search for Price and his companions, it had finally struck him that he was a few days removed from seeing Briere again. And he wasn't sure how ready he was to deal with that still sore part of his past.

He sighed and turned his head so that he could bury his nose into Jose's hair and inhale the sharply sweet scent of his shampoo. Jose stirred slightly at that, but didn't wake. Ryan was glad that Jose kept on sleeping, since he would have been a bit embarrassed about being caught out sniffing his mate's hair. It was an impulse that he didn't indulge often. But now with daily skirmishes and mercernaries practically knocking on their doors...he permitted himself a bit of indulgences here and there.

“ _You shouldn't be embarrassed about showing you need him, Millsy. It's sweet.”_ Ryan laughed softly as he turned to look at his Alpha, who was now fully awake and watching him with a small smile on his full lips, making him look younger than his years. His green eyes were crinkled at the corners, and the sight of him looking so open and so content made his heart ache in a vague way that he couldn't quite define. 

Ryan smiled and propped himself up on his elbow to better look at his Alpha.

“ _Still, don't want to get too sappy this early in the day.”_ Ryan replied as he reached out and pushed an errant curl of hair away from Sheldon's forehead. 

Sheldon's smile grew wider, and Ryan noticed that Sheldon's fingers had started to gently stroke the skin on his bare hip. Ryan closed his eyes and savoured the sensation, since    
_that_   
particular spot on his hip was sensitive and made him quite lax and willing to do anything as long as it guaranteed it being touched.

“ _Is that really true? Or is there something else weighing on your mind?”_ Ryan's eyes flew open and he looked at Sheldon sharply, all his mellowness washed away at the question. He should have known that _nothing_ got past his Alpha. Despite Theo being the empath, he could keep him from knowing some things longer than he could with Sheldon. But it didn't stop him from trying, since that had been his way, before he had become part of the triumvirate.

“ _I really hate it when you do that, you know.”_ Ryan groused, but there was no real anger behind the words. Sheldon was asking out of concern. Even though Theo had gotten healthier in the past couple of years, it hadn't ever stopped Sheldon from checking up on him. Or Ryan if he felt that something was off on their connection to each other. And being a telepath had made Sheldon even more sensitive to anything being off-kilter in Theo and Millsy than ever before. If he wasn't concentrating, sometimes his thoughts would bleed into theirs and leave him confused. Enough so that he'd need to be in _loup_ form to figure out his own mind. 

“ _I don't know how the hell I'm going to deal with Briere here, and Kaner's visions creep the fuck out of me, and being out on patrol...it's starting to get a bit...fucked up.”_ Ryan replied, being vague enough to not really say what was bothering him, but giving Sheldon enough of a clue as to what was going on.

“ _Why would having Briere here be a problem? You've never shown anything except respect for him.”_ Sheldon pointed out, his brows furrowed as he tried to figure out why Millsy would have objections at having Briere with them. As far as he knew there was no animosity between them, and they had interacted civilly towards each other whenever they met. But then, Ryan was very tight-lipped and hard to read. Even when their memories and thoughts bled together, it was frustratingly ambiguous.

“ _When we used to play together, I kind of had a bit of a crush on him. I didn't know what sparked it, to be honest. He just really sparked my interest and I admit I was sort of...besotted.”_ Sheldon raised an eyebrow at that statement, since it was at odds with the Ryan he knew intimately now. Ryan shrugged.

“ _It was almost six years ago, and I didn't even dream that he was a loup. Or that loups existed for that matter. But I was drawn to him on an almost ridiculous level. I just couldn't spend enough time with him, you know? I think he knew, on some level, and humored me. Or maybe he really felt bad for me, since I was a mess. Wasn't a good year.”_

Sheldon frowned, but didn't press when Ryan fell silent to gather himself. He had never outright asked and Ryan had never spoken about it to either him or Theo. It was a private hurt and Sheldon and Theo respected that. After all, just because Theo and Sheldon were comfortable letting each other know _everything_ about each other, they respected that Ryan wanted to keep certain things to himself.

“ _Did anything happen between you? Or was it all unrequited?”_ Sheldon interrupted softly, his fingers still stroking Ryan's hip as he spoke, since he wanted to know if he had to make contingency plans when the erstwhile Alpha of the Pacific and the Eastern Archvist showed up. Although he loved Price like a brother, having had been in charge of the little brat during his first change, he loved his mates more.

“ _Never got farther than a few drunken, stolen kisses. I got hints that he would have been receptive to us going further...but it never happened, and after the disaster that was our 2006 play-off bid...”_

Ryan looked down. That had been a hurt that hadn't ever really healed for him and losing Briere and Biron and most of his team afterward had gutted him more than he cared to admit. He had tried to shoulder the team responsibilites, but he had quickly realized that he wasn't a leader. Or at least one that could lift the spirits of what was basically a skeleton team.

“ _It wasn't his fault. I know that now. It was just one of those things that can't be helped.It's always business. It still hurt though, losing him in both the team-mate and close friend sense, you know? But I had to wonder why he went to Philadelphia. Why he didn't fight harder to stay in Buffalo. He said later that it wasn't the money, but because he wanted to be close to Biron. And I always wondered about that, since Biron seemed to call the shots in their friendship. It was as if Danny couldn't take any action without clearing it with him.”_

Ryan shrugged and was distracted by Theo stirring in response to the movement. Both Sheldon and Ryan froze as they waited to see if Theo was going to wake up completely. But after a few moments, Theo stilled and continued on sleeping, letting Sheldon and Ryan go on with their conversation.

“ _Wait...he was friends with Biron?”_ Sheldon asked his fingers stilling on Ryan's hip. Ryan nodded. 

“ _Is that imporant? Is Biron someone we should be concerned about?”_ Ryan asked. Sheldon shook his head and squeezed Ryan's hip.

“ _No. Biron's ok. I'm just surprised that Biron was there with Briere, that's all. Usually, only Alphas or Betas with a high Alpha potential have someone looking out for them like that. Although having Biron there...”_ Sheldon frowned and trailed off as he thought about Biron, since he was pretty sure that he was in the same category as Talbot was...and Talbot was sort of important because of...

“ _What? What is it? You're kind of making me worried here.”_ Ryan asked, his eyes getting dark as he reached out for his Alpha. _“It's not a big deal. I mean, it was just a-”_

“ _No, don't worry about that, Millsy. I know you don't have those kinds of feelings for him. No. What I'm trying to figure out is why they sent a fox to stay with Briere if he's not even remotely close to an Alpha. Crosby...despite the trauma, has to have Talbot with him to keep an eye on him because he's technically an Alpha and his mate is not always with him. It doesn't make sense.”_ Sheldon interrupted Ryan, whose eyes then widened as the implications hit him. _“It doesn't make sense. It's like they knew he had the potential to be more. That it would take time for his mate to get to him. Someone was laying a long con on all the packs...but for what end?”_

“ _Maybe...Kaner was wrong? Maybe there's supposed to be a different way to end all of this?”_ Ryan asked hopefully.

Sheldon's expression softened as he splayed his fingers wide on Ryan's hip. It wasn't a prelude to sex, but a caress, and Ryan felt warmth suffuse through him as Sheldon's fingers went a bit higher to reach the other spot that turned him into jelly in both human and _loup_ form. He moaned and Sheldon laughed softly at the reaction.

“ _Maybe. Just maybe. But that's not the point here. I know you said it was in the past, but would him being here bring all those feelings back up? Because if that's the case, I can always-”_

“ _No. It's...It's seriously okay. I was just sort...”_

“ _Testing the waters, because you never really examined how you felt about the situation, even after all these years?”_ Both Sheldon and Ryan jumped when they heard Jose's mental voice cut in the conversation.

“ _Christ! How the hell...? God! Christ...you scared the piss out of us! God! Theo!”_ Theo sat up, his hair in messy cowlicks and his eyes bleary from sleep as he looked at his Alpha and his other mate.

“ _Empath, remember? And you're touching me? Not that hard to pick up on your emotions when you're broadcasting so damned loudly that you woke me up from sleep. So you are okay with Briere and Price coming here? And don't lie to me or Sheldon either. We may respect the barriers that you put up, but we also expect for you to respect us enough to give us truthful answers too.”_

Jose replied as he mussed up his hair and narrowed his eyes as he could force Ryan to give him an answer just by glaring at him long enough.

Sheldon shifted in bed, and Ryan seriously thought about his feelings regarding Briere.

“It hurt. For a long time. It felt like everyone had deserted me, you know? That I wasn't a good enough reason for them to stay. In my head, yeah, I knew it was business. But it took a long time for it to stop hurting.” Ryan said in a quiet voice. “I guess I just wanted to know _why_ he was so willing to follow Biron instead of fighting for his position on the team. But feelings towards him? No. It was a crush.”

He looked at Sheldon, who was sitting with his legs pulled up and his arms crossed on top of his knees, listening intently to him. He smiled at him and then looked at Theo, who was almost in a mirror position to Sheldon but had his hands in his hair, messing it up as he listened to Ryan's answer.

“It never was anywhere close to what I have with you both and yeah...all of that came back when our division got the heads up that we may be the ones to meet Price and him and that we're fighting all these battles to basically keep him and Price safe. It felt weird, to really be on the same side as him again.” Ryan finished. Theo let out a soft noise and pulled closer to Ryan, who leaned in to Theo's arms gratefully, since he really needed to be held at that moment, despite not fully understanding why.

“You don't have to be on the front lines, if this is weighing on you, you know. I could switch you and Cogs to be under Doan instead.” Sheldon offered as he got out of bed and stood there, giving Theo and Ryan a nice view before he started looking for his pajama trousers.

Ryan opened his mouth to object, but was startled into silence by the door swinging open and revealing a dirty and blood-stained Shane Doan and Brent Burns.

“We just got them, Shel. My cousin and Briere and the rest of them. And we've got hostages willing to speak.” Doan reported, his eyes clear and green and completely focused on Sheldon. Brent Burns though, kept his eyes on the floor while the report was going on. He was very new to the _loup_ world and very naive as well, it seemed, if he was acting like a blushing virgin at seeing Sheldon standing there without a stitch on.

“Get them settled and give me about twenty minutes to get ready.” Doan nodded and grabbed Burns to pull him away, but was stopped by Sheldon's hand on his forearm. “And Shane...I'm glad he's safe. The brat, I mean.” Doan smiled at that before bowing to Sheldon and disappearing with Burns.

~*~*~*~*~

Carey stood under the hot spray with one hand splayed against the ceramic tile and let the hot water soak into his sore muscles and loosen them up. He kept his mind blank, not wanting to dwell on what had happened before his cousin and Burns had gotten there with their batallion. It was still too raw and too fresh to even skirt around in his mind, and he wasn't sure how he was even going to _begin_ to explain the actions taken to his cousin and to the Alpha and the Alpha Precedent.

Luckily, he wasn't going to have to wait to do so, since he had been requested to join all of the Alphas as soon as he was able to. But despite wanting to have it all out in the open with two of the Alphas he had basically grown up looking up to...he still felt reluctance in baring it all to them. He scoffed at himself a bit there, since it truly felt like he was a pup hiding an unsuitable mate from his pack.

“Grow a pair, Price.” He muttered to himself as he reached for the shampoo and started to get clean in earnest. They may tolerate a bit of a delay, but he wasn't about to test the patience of the _loup_ that had given him his first blood and the cousin that had been there for him to figure out the sometimes traumatic growth cycle that being a born _loup_ often brought with it. There were just some things he couldn't go to his father with, and Shane had been the best _loup_ to go to with the problems he had faced, albeit a few years before.

Once he was clean and dressed, he went to the office he had been to many times before and knocked on the open door to catch the attention of the _loups_ inside.

“Hey! Good to see you in one piece! Come in!” Theo greeted him, embracing him warmly despite the height difference between them. Carey smiled a bit and returned the embrace. He let go of Theo and caught his cousin's eye, who gave him a nod. They had already done their emotional greeting and even though they were quite comfotable with the others in the room, they are family and there are certain things that simply belong between the bonds of blood. 

“How you holding up?” Tazer asked, his face already drawn into lines of business, and Carey found himself shrugging. 

“I don't know. Holding up doesn't cover being left for dead with silver poisoning after my pack and my territories were destroyed. Or being ambushed twice in the space of four days. Oh and finding my mate. Would surviving suffice?” Carey asked, making Sheldon snort and Ryan grin at the deadpan question.

“Who is your mate?” Theo asked, his hands stilling on the papers that he was putting in order on the desk. Carey felt himself blushing at the question, despite being horrendously relieved that it was finally out there in the open, this burden of knowledge and want that he felt he had been carrying for years, but in reality was only a few days.

“Danny Briere.” He replied and left it at that, because he knew if he said anything else, it would sound like he was making excuses for a situation that he wasn't sure how he felt about just yet.

Sheldon blinked and Ryan's mouth tightened at the news. Theo bit his lip hard before he asked the next question.

“Did you mate with him yet, or did you just mark him?” Carey shook his head at Theo.

“I just marked him, that's when it hit me, he's mine, like I'm his. I...I....I wanted to. Fuck did I want to. But we got ambushed again and Bugsy Malone and Orpik were there and the Staals and it was a fucking mess...”

“They grabbed the Staals?” Sheldon interjected and Carey nodded and Tazer swore while Doan pinched the bridge of his nose and Kaner looked like he was going to be sick.

“Why did you resist? It must be killing him...not being near you.” Tazer added quietly, his eyes flickering over to Kaner.

Carey smiled humorlessly. “That's also another reason why I didn't. He's been lied to about his rank.”

Tazer's eye twitched at that. “What? How the fuck-”

“Doesn't matter. What is he, exactly?” Shane interrupted smoothly.

“Low Alpha.” Carey replied. “And I know that if I take him, we're done. Kesler wants the Pacific, and what better way to get me to give up my territory and pack permanently than by attacking what I value the most?” His hands clenched involuntarily as he thought about what cruelties Kesler would be sure to inflict on a supposedly weak _loup_ _._ And he was fucked if he was going to let anything happen to Danny.

“So what do I do? Kaner's already seen what's going to happen.” Kaner shook his head.

“I didn't see who it was, Price. It's not as clear as that. I just know that it's the turning point of the war.” Kaner put in, making Tazer look at him sharply. Price noticed this and made a mental note to ask him about it later when and if he could pry Kaner from Tazer's side.

“We'll keep Briere busy and away from you until we get in touch with the gypsies. I'm going to have Henrik contact Forsberg, and I'm going to talk to Roy. They must know something that we're not seeing.”

~*~*~*~

Danny's eyes opened slowly this time, and he had to blink his eyes a couple of times to convince himself that yes, he really was in a room and lying on a bed. Confused, he turned his head and saw Carey standing in the doorway.

“Carey?” Danny asked raspily. “Where are we?”

“The Eastern compound. My cousin and his cell found us when we were fighting. You were already out of it by then. They helped us get here.” Carey explained, walking over to the bed and sitting down.

Danny nodded. That was a battle he didn't care to remember and was glad that most of it was a blur in his mind. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline, or the fact that Malone had smashed him on the back of the head with an aluminum basbeall bat. He winced in remembrance and prodded at the back of his head, only to find a thick bandage wound around what was surely an ugly wound.

He closed his eyes briefly, but opened them up wide when he remembered his pup. How the hell had he forgotten about his pup?

“Caelan's fine. Burish is watching him.” Danny made a face at the news, and Carey laughed softly at that. “He's in good hands. Nearly finished the phase and Burish is harmless and not an Alpha. He's good.”

Danny nodded and closed his eyes. His head hurt and he was feeling utterly drained. The fight and...

He had to open his eyes and look at Carey, who was watching him warily. They hadn't really talked about what had happened in the woods before they were forced to fight again. There hadn't been any time. Until now.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Danny asked, quietly.

“I don't know. It's weird...how things are now between us.” Carey replied, his voice equally soft.

“You regret it?” Although he didn't really want to ask the question, Danny had to know whether it had been instincts or hormones or adrenaline or something more. Something binding.

Carey didn't even hesistate to answer. He had already asked himself that question when he had kissed Danny for the first time. “No. Do you?”

“No.” Danny replied, relief flooding through him. He didn't make decisions that fast. It wasn't in his nature, and it was just now that the implications of their decision were hitting him. But hearing the sureness in Carey's voice put his fears to rest for the time being.

Carey nodded as he leaned over and cupped Danny's cheek and stroked the curve of Danny's cheek bone with his thumb, making Danny sigh and close his eyes at the touch.

“Do they know?”

“Kaner does. But he knew from before. The rest don't.”

“So where do we go from here?”

“We wait and see. But I'm not going to let Kesler get you or my pack. That I do know for sure.”

Danny opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get a chance since Carey silenced him with a kiss that was the exact twin of the one he had received in the woods: all soft lips and tongue, but passionate and scorching as all out, making him glad he was lying down and saving himself the embarrassment of collapsing on the floor.

“ _I know. I know how you feel and yeah...I love you. Like you do with me. I know...it's sudden and I'm younger and it's all fucked up and in the middle of a war...but fuck it all. I'm not going to let you go. Not like Henrik let Sid go. And I'm not going to be stupid like Shel and not recognize what I have before it's too late.”_

Danny's eyes flew open at that raw admission, and he could see Carey's eyes were bright green and too glassy for it to just be a youthful declaration of love that would fade with time. He meant it, and again Danny was reminded that despite being a _loup_ for years, there were still things he didn't know.

This was one of those times, and for once it wasn't a painful lesson.

Now to deal with the consequences.

~*~*~*~*~

“ _I've got nothing to lose, you've got nothing to say,_

 _Come we're leaving today,I think we'd better go home!”-My Chemical Romance_

Kaner let the hot spray of the shower wash over him as he closed his eyes and thought about Carey's arrival in the Eastern Enclave. Carey had mated already, despite all that he had said to everyone else. It was just like he had seen earlier, in scattered bits and pieces. Some pieces were moot now, since the choices that had been made had now made those visions obsolete.

So he wasn't lying when he said that it could be any of the Alphas. Or their mates, who were Alphas in their own right. That part he hadn't made overly clear, since he wasn't even sure if that was going to pass. Those blurred visions had already been nullified by half of the events that had taken place in the last few days. Some though, were still clear and on the table and even though he was the strongest clairvoyant in the packs, there were certain things that he was blind to, like every other _loup_ in the packs.

He turned his head this way and that to let the hot spray work its magic on his tense muscles and recalled the conversation that he had with Carey that altered quite a bit of the visions he had before.

“ _When are you coming back East? And do you mind if I sit down?” Kaner's voice had made Carey start and blink up at him in surprise as he sat nursing a cup of strong tea. They had forgotten to pick up coffee and most of them had to make do with Theo's inexhaustable supply of tea._

 _Carey nodded to the free chair and shrugged his reply as Kaner sat down nursing a can of Dr. Pepper. He winced when he saw what Kaner was drinking. Pop in the morning was bad enough, but Dr. Pepper was something that he couldn't stand no matter what time of day._

“ _Probably when training starts and not anytime sooner. It's my land and my pack and my soul out there. And Doan and I need to get everything set up before he goes down to Phoenix again.” Carey replied as he took a sip of his tea, frowned and added more milk from the carton on the nearby counter._

 _Kaner nodded. “Speaking of packs and loups...have you both found mates yet or is that a moot point in asking?”_

 _Carey raised an eyebrow as he took a long swallow of tea before replying._

“ _You know my cousin won't. He's like Carbonneau in that way.” Carey replied as he put his cup down. “And no. I haven't met anyone that could be my mate yet. I don't think I will, ever to be honest.”_

 _Kaner's mouth twisted at the answer. 'Why do you sound so sure?”_

 _Carey shrugged one shoulder and looked down at the table. “Just got told that when I was still a kid. They said that my mate wasn't there. That the timing was off for me, that I was born too early or too late for one.”_

 _Although Carey was trying to give off an attitude of nonchalance, it was all too obvious to Kaner that it was an old hurt that time wasn't ever going to heal. He knew the signs, because he had done the same thing, brushed everything off that hurt him casually so that no one would know. It was a mask, and Carey needed the mask more than most normal loups. Never mind people. So he let it pass and instead went to the obvious path that Carey wanted him to go down._

 _Kaner blinked at that answer and his mouth dropped open. “Does that really happen?”_

 _Carey nodded. “In our pack it does. Not often, but sometimes it gets like that, we have loups that are thirty mating with twenty year olds and stuff. Even the g-” he looked at Patrick and stopped himself short, making Patrick wonder what it was that Carey didn't want to say to him. He hated that Carey and Doan tended to be quite cagey about the Pacific packs. Even Sheldon had very little information about that area and had more or less stonewalled anyone from asking, and he had to wonder why. Maybe someday he would figure it out, since he hated not knowing._

“ _Anyways, the point is that I'm not going to have one. Not in the cards for me and that's that. Maybe a wife. But not a mate.” He finished. “Why are you asking me this? Did you see something?” Carey asked suspiciously, his eyes darkening to black when he did, making Patrick back away. That he hadn't seen before, and if he was honest, it scared the piss out of him._

“ _Your mate.” Kaner replied, making Carey's eyes go back to their normal colour. “What?”_

 _Kaner nodded. “I saw you with him, at the end of the war. I didn't see who it was, but I knew that he was your mate by the way you were holding him.”_

 _Carey blinked at that. “Wait, what? What the fuck do you mean?”_

 _Patrick wrinkled his nose as he tried to remember the details of the vision that he had seen just that morning prior to meeting up with Carey and Doan. It hadn't been one of the ones he really wanted to remember, since the emotions had been so overwhelming he had cried for half a day. It had taken him a week to shake off the effects of it afterward, since he knew that it was one of the ones that was more likely to come to pass._

“ _Look, visions are weird and sometimes, not very pleasant to experience. What I saw was you holding the body of your mate while we were fleeing from the West and Kesler's forces. We lost the war, and you lost your mate.” He bit his lip as he tried to find the best way to tell him the next part. “He is the reason why we lost the war, since you went catatonic and couldn't fight off Kessler.”_

 _Carey's face went as white as a sheet of paper after he had heard what Patrick had just told him._

“ _Fuck that then. Fuck that! No one is worth losing my territory and my people to...Did you fucking say Kesler? Kesler's the one that's going to fight us?” Carey asked in disbelief._

 _Patrick nodded. “I don't know when. But I know it's going to happen. We've already got Bur keeping an eye out for us. Kesler's pissed and wants land and loups. He's not stupid enough to hit at Tazer or Sheldon, and the East would be too much of a rallying point for all of the loups. So I guess the Pacific makes sense for him to grab.”_

 _Carey's mouth thinned at that logic.He knew why Kesler was looking at the Pacific and even though he didn't want to be alone, without a mate and dealing with the yearning for one...his land and his people came first. His mother had done her job well, instilling that part of his heritage within him. “Then thanks for the warning. I'm not going to be mated if it means losing everything. No. I'm going to stay alone.”_

 _He drank the rest of his tea and nodded to Patrick before he left the kitchen without another word._

 _Kaner blew out a breath and leaned back in his chair to look up at the ceiling. That had gone better than he had expected. But those eyes had been pretty damned freaky and Kaner sincerely hoped that was the end of the visions concerning Carey, since after all, he had made the choice. The visions should be different now._

Kaner snorted at the memory. They hadn't gotten different. In fact, they had gotten clearer and more detailed, showing the _loup_ who would be Carey's mate. He had to admit that he had been fucking surprised when he had gotten a vision of Carey and Danny in the woods somewhere in upstate New York. It had been a short vision, that showed Carey arguing with Danny before finally giving in and pinning the smaller _loup_ against a tree.  He ravaged Danny's mouth before roughly yanking his zipped hoodie off. Danny had received the kiss with alacrity and had clung to Carey's back as Carey had made fast work of their clothes. He had seen Carey pull away and whisper in Danny's ear before Danny had smiled and nodded what looked to be consent, since the next thing he saw was Danny's legs wrapping themselves around Carey's waist. Carey shifted and spread his legs apart and thrust, his face burying itself into the juncture of Danny's neck and shoulder. Danny's mouth fell open, and his nails had dug into Carey's back before he too turned his head and sunk his teeth deep into Carey's neck.

Kaner hadn't told anyone about that particular vision. He didn't have time, since it had come around the time that Kesler had gotten the jump on them and Carey had disappeared. He had forgotten about it, if he was honest. Well, until he had seen Carey for the first time since their last conversation. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something about Carey's mannerisms had shoved the vision into the forefront, and he just fucking _knew_ that it had come to pass. 

And now they were going to try and figure out what to do since Carey had made the choice he hadn't been expecting.

“Fucking emotions and instincts.” Kaner muttered as he opened his eyes and grabbed the soap. He didn't mean it, since he too had followed his heart and paid the price for it. So he wasn't about to be a hypocrite and blame Carey for his choices. Besides, it wasn't as if Carey had caused someone's death and forced a friend to tie himself to a right bastard.

And they had the element of surprise. Carey's moment of romantic weakness wouldn't cost them.

He stopped thinking about it and finished cleaning up. Once he was done, he put on a long-sleeved tee and matching pants and settled on the bed to wait for Tazer. He knew that they would have to talk about the situation. He hadn't meant to slip, nor had he expected Carey to bring it up. And he had promised himself after the Minnesota Incident that he would always be honest with Tazer, no matter what the outcome would be.

Kaner was sitting on the bed with his back propped up against the headboard when Tazer was finally able to get away from Council business for the night. His eyes were closed, but Tazer knew that he wasn't sleeping.

“Why are you still up? It's pretty late, and even though it's nice, you don't have to wait up for me.” Tazer commented as he sat down beside his mate.

“I know that. But I also know you, Tazer. And I know you haven't forgotten the meeting with Carey this afternoon.” Kaner replied as he opened his eyes to look at his mate, making Tazer smile a bit as he got comfortable beside Kaner.

“You know me far too well.” Tazer replied lightly as he then turned to look at Kaner. “So why did you tell them that it could be any of the Alphas, rather than Danny?”

“He already mated with Danny, not just marked him. that's why.” Kaner replied without any hesitation. Tazer looked at Kaner without blinking for a few moments before he let his head drop back.

“Well, fuck.” He sighed deeply before he turned to look at Kaner, who shrugged.

“Have you seen anything different other than Danny's death?” Kaner frowned.

“I only saw Danny's death once, Jonny. I haven't seen it again. I never see who it is. But it's overwhelming, the grief that their passing causes.” Kaner answered, making Tazer's heart clench in fear.

“So it could be anyone then. “ He whispered once it finally hit him.

“I'm sorry.” Kaner replied as he reached out and buried his fingers into his mate's hair in an effort to offer him some comfort over the uncertainty of a future he was supposed to have seen clearly.

“Not your fault. Don't think it's your fault. Well, unless you started the war, that is.” Tazer said, making the apprehension Kaner was feeling dissipate. If Tazer could make one of his dry jokes, then the situation wasn't as dire as he supposed.

“Are you going to tell Shel and them?” Kaner asked. Tazer shook his head.

“I have a feeling that one is not for us to touch. This is between Carey and them. “

~*~*~*~*~

“He lied about mating with Briere, didn't he?” Shane asked Sheldon, Ryan and Theodore as they sat in the meeting room after his younger cousin had left.

“Does that surprise you?” Theo asked as he tamped down the papers into a neat stack and secured them with a rubber band and put them on the desk. “None of us have ever thought about the consequences of finding our mates. I'd be surprised if he was the exception.”

Sheldon sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. “True. Look at Henrik and Sid. Christ that was a fuck-up. Even us, for awhile, were considered that.”

Even though it was said in a matter of fact tone, Theo still flinched. Sheldon's eyes narrowed and he walked over to his mate, while Ryan did the same. It had been a hard time, when they had first mated and had started to live together, and despite the years, the scar of that hurt still ached if prodded.

Sheldon put his arm around Theo, while Ryan did the same. They couldn't erase the past, but they could be there for Theo when he needed comfort.

“Thanks.” Theo mumbled, and Sheldon pressed his lips to his temple in reply. Ryan, on the other side, snuggled in closer and rested his head on Theo's shoulder.

Shane blew out a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “So what are we going to do about this then? You know that if Kesler kills Danny, he kills Carey and me also. I may be an Alpha, but even I have my limits. I won't survive it, and the Pacific territory will be gone.”

“We won't let that happen, Shane. I know what's at stake. I'm not going to leave you to hang.”

Shane's and Sheldon's eyes met then, and Shane nodded. Sheldon understood what was at stake if the Pacific territory was taken over by Kesler, and that simply couldn't happen.“I guess we should start talking to the Staals and Malone and Orpik. If they were at the border, Danny and Carey mating is the least of our worries.”

Shane nodded. “I'll wait for you in the basement. Theo, Ryan, I'll see you later, okay? Take care.”

Sheldon and Theo looked at each other and frowned at that. Ryan, too, had to raise his head and look at his two mates. Shane usually never said good bye like that.

“I guess it's starting to take its toll on him, this whole fucking war and stalemate we're in at the moment.” Ryan finally drawled out thoughtfully as he moved and accidentally brushed his hand against Sheldon, who started slightly at the contact, making Theo look at him oddly.

“Probably. I don't know what's worse, sitting around waiting for him to come, or being ambushed. Either way I'll talk to him, okay, and don't wait up. I have a feeling it's going to take awhile.” Sheldon told them before he disentangled himself from Theo, brushed his lips across their foreheads and left.

Ryan frowned and looked at Theo. “Do you get the feeling that something's not quite right here?”

Theo nodded. “I wouldn't worry about it. He gets that way sometimes. All Western _loups_ are odd like that.”

Ryan shrugged. “Yeah. I guess. I'm off patrols tonight. You have work to do?” He asked as he casually moved closer to Theo and began making lazy circles on the back of his neck.

Theo moaned softly and let his head fall forward, allowing Ryan more access to his neck. “No, I don't. What do you have in mind?”

Ryan laughed quietly. “Let's go back to our room. I'll show you there.”

~*~*~*~*~

Brooks Orpik tried, with very little success, to stop his shivering. Even though Shane Doan's cell hadn't manhandled them badly after they had given up, he still was sick with anticipation over what was going to come next. After everything that had happened in the last week, he was expecting _anything_ to show up through that door. It was bad enough turning into a fucking nightmare and controlled against his will, but being captured and thrown in a cage with Malone while they waited to know their fate was worse.

Or at least that was what he thought until he was dragged out by that kid who played in Edmonton and Pominville and left in this room, tethered to a chair and barefoot. At least they had given him sweats, since they had been in wolf form when they had been apprehended by Doan and his crew. He swallowed hard and fidgeted in his chair, wincing when the ropes chafed his ankles. He still had bruises from the last time he had been restrained. At least they used nylon ropes, which was a small blessing.

He hadn't gotten very far into his thoughts when the door opened to reveal a green-eyed Sheldon Souray holding two cups of coffee. He kicked the door shut and put one of the cups in front of Brooks and watched as the other _loup_ grabbed it and drank half of it down greedily. Sheldon took a small sip as he watched Brooks put the cup down and look up at him with those big eyes that seemed wider and bigger in his fear.

“Relax, Brooks. I'm not into that shit that Kesler's into. I just want to talk.”

Brooks smiled a crooked smile that didn't reach his eyes. “That's what he told us. He just wanted to talk to us. The next thing we know, we're the stuff out of horror films and caught in the middle of a fucking war. How do I know you're not going to do the same?”

“One, because I'm not Kesler. Two, apart from being grabbed, did anyone treat you badly since then?” Sheldon asked as he pulled up the other chair in the room and sat down across the table from Brooks, who blinked at the question and shook his head.

“But it doesn't mean you won't do it later.” He pointed out as he took a shaky drink from his cup. But he did stop looking like he was going to be scared to death, despite the words that he had just spoken.

“Only if I think you want to fuck me over or you're lying, that's about it. Or you want to declare war on my pack. Are you here to declare war on my pack?” Sheldon asked flatly.

“War on your what? I don't even _know_ what the fuck this is all about. I just want to go home, Souray. I just want to be normal and forget that fucking asshole Comrie bit me and Malone. He fucking _bit_ us. And Kesler...”Brooks broke off and shuddered in remembrance before he continued. “Kesler made us do it, alright? He took Malone's family, and he's got Eric and Marc Staal. We don't have an agenda, really. We just...got caught up in the wrong shit and trusted an asshole, because he was wearing our team crest.”

“So Comrie's working with Kesler, and you guys were turned against your will and sent out to go after Carey and the rest of them?” Sheldon asked slowly, wanting to make sure that he had the facts straight. “And he's got leverage on all of you to make sure you succeed or else, am I right?”

Brooks nodded, and Sheldon sat back, drinking down his coffee while he digested the news. So he had been right in doubting Comrie in that brief time that they had played together. The fucker was a weasel and had proven it, since he could taste the truth in Brooks' words. The _loup_ was too shocked by the sudden plunge into a world he should have never known to lie about anything. He could smell the fear and despair coming off his skin. He didn't need to touch him to know that.

“Hey...uhm...I know that this may be a stupid question, but is there anything you can do?” Brooks asked after several moments of silence had come and gone between them. Sheldon blinked at the question.

“Stopping Kesler, yes. Changing you and Malone and the others back. No. I'm sorry. When you get bitten, it's a one way ticket into being a _loup.”_ Sheldon replied, softening the reply. Brooks nodded and tried to take it stoically, but his expression was the same one Sheldon had seen on his face when the Pens had lost the Cup to Detroit in 2008. He was gutted, and Sheldon, despite understanding the reasoning, couldn't quite sympathize, since he had never once thought being a _loup_ was horrible. Even when he had to go through the metamorphosis and the heat right after...he never considered it a curse.

“I'm really sorry, Brooks. I honestly can't imagine how it would feel. And I'm sorry that the only thing I can offer you, the Staals and Malone is to stop Kesler before he does anymore damage.” Sheldon told him. Brooks nodded but Sheldon was aware it was almost a reflex. He'd probably understand later, after he got a hot meal and a hot shower and rest. Then it would all sink in. For now, Brooks was just barely hanging on and he had a sneaking suspcion that it was probably the same with Malone and the Staals.

“But I need more information. What else can you tell me about Kesler?”

~*~*~*~*

Claude ran ahead of Tootoo, Rask and Cheechoo as he raced towards the intruders they had scented earlier when they had come out on patrol in the woods around the Enclave. All of them were in _loup_ form, too nervous to remain in human shape any longer. Kesler and his army were close and getting closer, and it was Claude's aim to cripple at least the first wave before they got anywhere near the Eastern Enclave.

“ _How many do you think they've sent out?”_ Rask asked as he caught up with Claude, who was galloping as if hell was right on his heels. 

“ _Anywhere between twenty and his entire army. Kesler's not subtle about wanting Kane, Price and Briere. He's going to throw everything at us to get to them.”_ Claude replied as he put on another burst of speed and moved ahead of Rask, who turned his shaggy black head and looked at Cheechoo and Tootoo, who moved forward, the information already conveyed to them by Rask.

Claude didn't pay them attention as he forged on ahead. When he had spoken to Rask, he had caught a whiff of a bland scent that seemed at odds with the crisp evergreen scents of his own pack and the sweet, cedar smell that clung to the western wolves. He was determined to find the source and hunt them down before they destroyed not only the Pacific wolves, but all of them.

It took Claude a bit longer than he had expected, finding them. They were about fifty kilometers away and were aimlessly wandering around, five of the twenty he had guessed really standing as sentries. Occasionally, the sentries would snarl at a couple of the wolves that looked like they were losing their nerve. Although Claude was pleased to know he had been right, he was also greatly disappointed, since he could tell from the hesitation and awkwardness that they were similar to the half-shifted wolves that had attacked them as they had crossed the border. These weren't born or chosen    
_loup_   
. These were poor humans pressed into service as cannon fodder, more or less, and his hatred of Kesler grew even more than before. 

“ _Kesler's sharp, I see. Sending in the kids with only five experienced soldiers, while he keeps the guns back. Better give the cells the heads up.”_ Cheechoo mused, laughter threading his low voice as he came up beside Claude and was quickly joined by Tootoo and Rask. He turned and looked at Claude, who snorted before he closed his eyes and searched out Carey's brainwave signature. Once he had found it, he called out and hoped that Carey was awake and ready to receive the message.

“ _Claude? What did you get?”_ Carey returned almost immediately.

“ _We got twenty here. Five experienced and fifteen newly turned. Get everyone on guard.”_ Claude warned him. _“Kesler's probably got the main pack moving towards the enclave.”_

“ _Got it. Do what you have to do and come back as soon as all of you can. Good luck.”_

“ _Allright. Let's go!”_

With a snarl, the small scouting party split up and went towards their targets, and all hell broke loose.

As soon as they got the signal, they bore down on the sentries, scattering the jittery wolves, who chose to try and flee. But the ones closest to the sentries were forced to fight.

“ _Stop them, don't kill them! Only the sentries!”_ Claude yelled as he went towards a sentry that was snapping at his own soldier. The wolf snarled and shoved the terrified soldier away and ran towards Claude, fangs bared and jaws slavering as he did so. Claude hissed and rushed towards him, plowing into him and forcing the sentry to lose ground. The Sentry shook his head a few times before he hurled himself into Claude, who hurled himself at the sentry with fangs and claws flying.

“ _Get him! Go Giroux!”_ Rask howled as Claude leapt on the sentry's back and clamped his jaws down on his neck and shook his head from side to side until he felt fur and flesh tear and the other wolf howl in agony. He could taste the blood, and the taste of it turned his vision red and made him forget everything else except the thrill of the kill.

~*~*~*~*~

“I'll work these files over here then. You got all the French ones ?” Kaner asked as he pulled out a dusty document box labelled “1990-2000” and brought it over to the table beside the one that Danny had taken over.

“Yeah. Thanks for the help. I appreciate it.” Danny replied as he shoved his black-framed reading glasses up his nose.

“Not a worry. Anything to keep me from sitting around wondering when I'm going to get whammed with another glimpse of the future or worrying about Tazer and all of the Alphas.” Kaner replied, making Danny smile.

“I hear you.” Danny replied as he fingered the bandage that was still wound around his head. Although Carey had said that it was close to being healed, he had shot down Danny's request to join him out on patrol like the others. Even though Danny had argued that they needed all the manpower that they could get when Kesler's army came, Carey wouldn't hear of it. And their argument echoed the one they had in the woods before they had mated.

And even though Danny understood the desire to protect and keep his loved ones safe, it still stung to recall the argument while he sat in the Archives with Kaner working alongside him.

“I'm not putting you in danger, Danny. Not when I just found you. Fuck that. Besides, we need our Archivist to piece information together.” Carey had told him as he had said his goodbyes.

“Just like you're fucking immortal, Carey? What if you die out there? Where does that leave me?” Danny had pleaded. “I already lost Marty and Sylive. What do you think you dying will do to me?”

Carey had shaken his head and sighed heavily. “I'll take the risk. But you have pups. And now, if I die and if my cousin dies, you will be the last Alpha of the Pacific. Caelan will be the heir, and at least they will be safe, once we stop Kesler. It's not easy for me to ask this of you. It never was. But please, Danny. I am the Alpha, and it's my responsibility. This is what being an Alpha entails.”

Danny hadn't been able to argue anymore. Especially not when Carey had looked at him with those large brown eyes right before he had kissed him so passionately that it had taken his breath away. He had left then, and Danny had just enough time to pull himself together before Kaner had appeared and taken him down to the Archives.

After some awkward conversation that had consisted of Danny quizzing Kaner on where the older files were stored and where his pup was (“Those brown boxes there and your kid's with Bur, who despite acting like a complete and utter retard, actually is pretty intelligent, and good with kids.”) they settled down into a comfortable, if silent. working mode.

That was about to be broken by the information Danny had just located in a haphazardly put together file.

“What the actual fuck?” Danny muttered to himself as he read and re-read the file in front of him. But no matter how many times he read the stark words on the page, it was still meaningless and senseless to him.

It also made him wonder if he had meant anything to someone that he could have sworn had his back no matter what. Despite having Carey as his mate, it still was a horrible punch to the gut to find out his first romance hadn't really been a romance at all. But rather had been a calculated move in order to lay the foundation to a future event that he had no say in.

Danny's life had been irrevocably changed when he had been a scared and confused sixteen year old, and no one had bothered to take what he wanted into consideration. He had been a tool, and one of the most cherished relationships he had wasn't anything but a political move. And that hurt.

He felt moisture gather up in the corners of his eyes, and he wiped it away and looked at the stark words again.

“ _Sakic thinks that we should follow Forsberg's visions. He already proved how accurate his visions are. He's already seen the kid, and most of the council is in favour of turning him. Biron's not exactly keen on that, but he's a good soldier and knows duty comes first. He'll do it. The Pacific tribes are still hesitant to give the vote and Souray will back them, since they backed his challenge for the Alpha. But we have decided it's what needs to be done. Or else we're all going to be extinct.”_

“Fucking shit.” Danny muttered and tried to ease the sorrow and grief that was building up in his chest like a dull knife. The pain, although not as intense as it had been during the messy ending of his marriage, was still painful enough to make his vision swim.

“What is it?” Kaner's voice made him look up from the battered up file that was half computer printouts and half hastily scribbled notes in a hurried and cramped hand.

“Just found something utterly fucked up.” Danny replied as he tried to wrap his head around the information that he had just discovered. Kaner raised an eyebrow as he sat down at the table where Danny had spread out all the files and his laptop.

“Exactly how fucked up?” Kaner asked. “I tend to rate things on the fucked up scale before and after the Minnesota Incident. It's a pretty good scale.”

Danny blinked at him. “Why the Minnesota incident?”

“Well, before that, fucked up was getting wasted, doing stupid shit and pining after my best friend and captain. After the Minnesota Incident, it's hard to top accidentally getting a poor sod killed, held in a cage and get the ever loving daylight beat out of you until you're nearly crippled, then being turned into a new species and all the accompanying angst that entails. Oh, and getting your friend to sacrifice his own humanity for you.”

“Oh. Well. If you put it that way, it makes sense. It's fucked up, but I can see the logic behind it.” Danny replied, blinking again at Kaner, who shrugged.

“So on what end of the scale is it on?” Kaner asked as he leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand. Danny was about to reply when the archive door was suddenly slammed shut and locked.

“What the fuck?!” Kaner shouted as he raced to the door and tried to open it to no avail. Danny stood up and was about to ask what exactly was going on when he heard Carey's mental voice.

“ _Danny! Kaner! Tanger locked the door of the Archive at my request. Don't fucking panic and hide where you can in the Archive. Kesler and his troops are out there. Whatever you do, don't let any of them get you. I love you, Danny. And Tazer says the same for you, Kaner.”_

~*~*~*~

“

 

 _If my velocity starts to make you sweat, then don't let go._

 _Because there's no vacancy in the emergency room._

 _Now tell me who do you trust? Get up and GO!” My Chemical Romance_

“ _Get the troops out, Price! NOW!”_ Carey had been expecting the call, but when it came, it was still as shocking as plunging into ice cold water. He was so shocked that he knocked over his chair abruptly, making Sheldon and Tazer stop their conversation and look at him.

“ _It's time, isn't it?”_ Sheldon asked briefly before his eyes turned a bright green and he put out the call for all the cells and troops in the Enclave.

Carey nodded.    
_“Giroux just gave me the warning. What's the plan?”_

“ _You and Tazer go and defend the Eastern part of the enclave. Shane and I are going to the West. Sharpie and Letang are South, Crosby, Leclaire and Roy are taking the North. Good luck, brat.”_

Carey snorted as he fluidly changed into a _loup._ _“You too, old man.”_

Sheldon let out a bark of laughter before he too changed into his _loup_ form and took off without a backwards glance, while Carey did the same.

He could hear the low hum of private conversations being held and goodbyes and promises being made, but he didn't delve deeply into it. He had already said his goodbyes and made sure that Danny, Caelan and Kaner were safe, and he felt that this time around it was important that everyone got their say. Even though he didn't want to be so negative about the situation, he wasn't going to be a naive optimist. He had seen the last war first-hand. Had been one of the _loups_ that carried his Alpha's near-dead body back. Had buried friends. He knew the cost of war.

He just hoped that this time, it wouldn't be a cost that he couldn't conceivably pay.

~*~*~*~

“Can't you stay out of it?” Henrik pleaded as he frantically put his jacket on and his toiletry bag into the half-packed duffel bag lying on the messy hotel bed. “At least until I get there?”

“I can't, Henke. It's started and I need to be out there. I can't let them down and by the time you and the rest get here, it could be over. I gave my word to my pack and I'm going.”

“I know. And it was stupid of me to ask...but-”

“It's not going to happen like last war, Henke. Trust me. I'll kill them first.” Sid interrupted as he looked up and saw Jonathan Roy and Pascal Leclaire hovering at the door in their wolf forms. It was time to go.

“Henke, I have to go now. Just...just trust me on this, okay? Trust me.” Sid stated in a low voice.

“Okay. Do what you have to do. I'll come with the others as soon as we can. Stay alive.” Henrik whispered the last, knowing full well that it could very well be the last thing he would say to his mate.

“See you after. I love you.” Sidney replied quietly before he hung up. He put the phone down on the bed and shifted into his _loup_ form. Although it wasn't as graceful as others, it was fluid enough that in a minute, there was a large dark wolf standing there. It shook itself and looked at its companions. They gave a few short yips before they all bounded out to the battle that waited for them outside.

It didn't take them long to find the fray. Already, the air was filled with snarls, howls and yips and the raw, brutal sounds of skirmishes all around. It was almost like silence was a distant memory for all of them. One minute the air had been filled with the normal sounds of the Enclave, the next, it had been filled with noises that Sidney knew he would hear in his nightmares. Already, he could smell spilled blood and hear the sounds of flesh tearing. He was sure he had heard the keening sounds of a death howl, but he didn't have time to investigate. Not when another _loup_ leapt on his back and smashed him to the ground.

He let out a yelp as he was flattened, all four of his legs giving out as he met the ground. It took him a bit to get his bearings back and by then, it was almost too late, since the other wolf had clamped his jaws around the back of Sidney's neck and ripped a chunk of fur out.

Sid howled and rolled out from underneath the other _loup._ He shook his head and was glad to not feel blood trickling out. The other _loup_ watched him and gave a snort as he spat out the wad of hair.

He got it then. It wasn't meant to hurt. To annoy and to challenge, but not to hurt. He wished that he had been one of the _loups_ that had telepathy as a secondary power. He could have sure used it to tell that fucker _exactly_ what he thought of that taunt.

Well, if he couldn't do it verbally, he sure as hell was going to do it physically. He felt his lips peel back into a snarl, and he lowered his head as he looked for an opening. The other wolf got into attack mode, and they started circling each other warily, both watching for a flinch that would provide the chance to attack. Sid was an old hand at this, and the split second he saw the waver, he struck.

The other wolf fought back though, and Sid was forced to back away until he found another opening. He got a few nips in, and tried to ignore the wheezing laughter of the other wolf. He was familiar with all of this. This asshole behaved the same as all those jerks that had plagued him as a pup. The same taunting and baiting as they wished for him to get angry enough to make a sloppy attack and give them an advtange. It wasn't going to happen.

He was patient and waited, circling and keeping a careful eye on his target as they moved in a deadly dance. Despite the growls and howls of pain and submission, he kept his focus on the other wolf. His patience was rewarded when he saw the tell-tale twitch of his back legs. So he took his chance and attacked.

It was far more vicious and brutal than he had intended, but it did the trick. He feinted and moved underneath the other wolf and snapped his jaws against the soft underside of his throat. In one swift move, he tore out his throat. No finesse, no warning. Just a pure and merciless kill.

The other wolf hacked and coughed before collapsing in a bloody heap on top of Sid. Sid barked and got the body off of himself. He sneezed, not liking that his coat was sticky and covered in blood. But he had to move on. There were more wolves out there.

~*~*~*~*

“Should we be insulted, you think?” Kaner asked Danny as they sat in the small kitchen in the far back of the Archive. Well, Danny was sitting at the table. Kaner was sitting on the counter, his mug of tea cradled between his hands. It had taken all of Danny's will-power to not tell him to get off the counter, like he would have done with his own pups. Although Kaner had more first hand experience in _loup_ conflicts than he had, and gained some maturity, he was still little more than a pup.

Danny shrugged as he stirred the milk into his tea. “Well, considering that you're a powerful clairvoyant and if I die Carey will completely lose his shit...I can't stay mad for too long.”

Patrick hummed an agreement and supped at his tea. “Yeah...not like we fucking _asked_ for any of this to happen though.”

Danny looked at him sharply. He hadn't really thought about how being such a strong clairvoyant would affect an everyday life. He had noticed that Kaner had gotten better as a player, but he had also seen that it was a rare game when he didn't have a nose bleed. Although it was kept extremely quiet, the scuttlebutt around the league was that Kaner, despite his tactical brilliance, was on his way out.

“I just hate being treated like I'm breakable. I understand the logic more than anyone, since I get a full HD preview of all the possibilites.” He laughed bitterly at that. “I know what Kesler will do to me if he ever gets his hands on me, and it's not pretty. It's just hard to take, being something to be fought over without my say.”

Danny took the spoon out of his tea and nodded as he wracked his brains for the appropriate thing to say to Kaner. He didn't blame him for feeling that way. Hell, even though Danny understood the reasons behind Carey's decision to lock them up in the Archive, it didn't ease the simmering resentment he felt at not having his opinion taken into consideration again. It also didn't ease the annoyance he felt towards himself at being resentful, like a spoiled little brat when he damned well knew what was at stake.

Carey had told him, in the woods, what exactly was at stake with the Pacific Pack. Had trusted him enough with a secret that very few knew about and why he had been so reluctant to follow his heart. And even though it had felt like his heart had been breaking and splintering in what he felt as being the most painful manner he had felt in his life, Danny had respected him then, since he could see that Carey wasn't just that flashy goalie from the team that had rejected him when he needed somewhere to be badly. He was a leader who was willing to sacrifice his own happiness to keep his land and people safe.

Carey had been the one that was going to walk away, but Danny had run before Carey had finished. He didn't want to stand there numbly again for the third time and listen to another person tell him it was done. Especially when nothing had been started in the first place. But Carey had run after him, and in the end they had reached a compromise. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best that could be done in the circumstances and during the eve of a war.

Especially since it was all too clear that all of them were pawns in a chess game that had been planned long before and without their consent. He didn't like quite a bit of what had passed: his house was gone, his pup was going into metamorphosis faster than he was supposed to, and he had made a promise that he would keep no matter what; yet he hoped that he wouldn't have to. The reminder of the promise was all he needed to push his own feelings down and address Kaner's question.

“I hate it, in some ways. But then I have to remember that it's not about me. Carey's the Alpha. He has responsibilites. And when it comes down to it, I fall into that category. I don't have to like it. But I can understand it and not hold a grudge over it. Besides, we have our own responsibilites to fulfill, and if it means staying out of sight and reach, so be it.” Danny finally told Kaner, who made a face and slumped on the counter, but finally nodded his agreement.

“I know. You're right. I'm just...I wish I was beside him, you know? Let him know that I got his back like he's got mine. Like how we do it on the ice, you know?” Kaner asked him.

Danny nodded and took a sip of his tea so that he wouldn't have to reply. He remembered that all too well with Marty and Ryan. What it felt like when he was out there, going forward and keeping the other team away from his goalies. Scoring or assisting and getting rewarded by Marty embracing him and by seeing Ryan's chocolate brown eyes crinkle in a pleased smile. He hated to admit it, but he lived for those small gestures on the ice. After being passed around, it had been a relief to find a new home and a niche in Buffalo. Then Marty took off, and he had to make a choice and despite the years, he never forgot the deep hurt he saw in Ryan's eyes the moment he had said his goodbyes. Even though it was business and they both understood that was the nature of the game, Danny knew the hurt he had caused Ryan would be one he'd probably always carry with him.

Yeah. He knew. But he wished that he didn't. Especially since he wouldn't ever get to do that for his Carey.

“I don't want to be a liability anymore...but I'm not getting any chances to prove it. Not from Tazer, or Sharpie or the Alphas...but from life itself, it seems.” Kaner finished softly. Danny winced, because he knew what Kaner was saying. As a human, he had made mistakes that had painted him as a liability to his team. Despite being a brilliant player, his antics off-ice garnered the most attention.

As a _loup_...Danny had privately wondered if Kaner had, after his fumbling that got one of Kesler's _loups_ killed, planted the seeds of the war they were now in the middle of. He had never breathed the idea outloud to anyone, but he really had to wonder. Just like he was beginning to ask himself if Kesler's designs on Kaner were more than just ambition. As soon as the thought struck him, Danny pushed it away. He really wasn't going to go there. Fuck that.

They sat in silence after that and finished their tea slowly, neither of them really having anything more to say as they waited for any kind of news or signals in regards to the battle that was surely going on outside of the Enclave. Danny washed the cups and put them away simply for something to do while Kaner hummed something under his breath and nervously tapped out a jerky and uneven rhythm on his thigh. Danny sighed and sat back down once he was done.

He could read, maybe comb through more of the archives, but after that nasty surprise about his own past, he had lost his taste for doing research at the moment. He didn't want to think about what other secrets were hidden in those boxes. He wrinkled his nose at the thought and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. Maybe-

“ _Danny?”_ He blinked and shook his head at the sound of Carey's voice interrupting his thoughts. He stood up from the table quickly, startling Kaner, who got off the counter and looked at Danny expectantly.

“ _Carey? What is it?”_ Danny asked, gathering his jacket and tossing Kaner his own. 

“ _The Enclave has been breached. We're holding them back. Get out. Just get out.”_ Carey ordered.

“ _How? You locked us in!”_ Danny replied frantically.

“ _Bur and Sharpie are there! Just shift and go! Go!”_ Carey's voice was abruptly cut off, and Danny nearly collapsed to his knees at the backlash the sudden silence had caused him. As it was, he had to grip the edge of the table and take a couple of deep breaths to steady himself. 

“ _Carey isn't gone, you idiot. Get a grip.”_ He told himself as he looked at Kaner.

“Shift. We gotta get the hell out.” He ordered Kaner, who nodded and shed his clothes fast. Danny took a deep breath and forced himself to move and follow suit. He closed his eyes and willed the shifting to come over and braced himself for the pain that it would bring with it, forcing it outside of his cycle.

Despite the shifting and snapping and reshaping of bone, muscle and flesh, it wasn't as hellish as it had been in the past. Usually, he was left panting and groaning after ten agonizing minutes of hearing bones snap and tissue stretch and tear as it conformed to its alternate form. But now, he was still on his feet and ready to run. He looked back at Kaner, who had transformed into a small golden wolf with piercing blue eyes who was sitting on the floor with his tail curled around his feet waiting.

“Danny, Kaner?” A voice called out that was unfamiliar to Danny, but it made Kaner's ears twitch before he got to his feet and exited the kitchen. Danny gave a soft growl and rapidly followed Kaner, intent on protecting the idiot pup.

He felt sort of foolish when he saw that it was Sharpie and Bur there, but tamped down the feeling when he rationalized that he hadn't really spoken to Bur. Not to mention the fact that Bur and Kaner were teammates and spoke to each other fairly often, if not everyday. He snorted at his thoughts and walked up to the other _loups_ that had been sent to escort them out to safety and away from Kesler and his cronies.

“Good to see you're all set. Come on. We'll go through the service entrance, hopefully they haven't found it yet.” Sharpie told them as he nodded to Bur, who undressed and shifted in what felt like nothing more than a blink of an eye. One minute Bur the man was there, the other a large brown wolf had taken his place. He shook himself out and rushed out the door, the other three following closely behind him.

They could hear, as they rushed down the hallway to the hidden service door, the din of battle outside and hearing it up close made Danny's stomach clench in foreboding. He hadn't ever fought in any of the battles, and even though he had proven he could go into a berserker rage if provoked enough...he wasn't sure if he could pull it off on demand. He took a deep breath and focused on calming his churning stomach and following Sharpie, Bur and Kaner as they went down to an alcove that Sharpie somehow opened up and stuck his head out to check if the coast was clear before he ushered them out quickly.

“Black SUV. Hurry.” Sharpie whispered as he slammed the door shut and followed the _loups_ across the street where the SUV had been parked. Sharpie had got all of them in and had started to drive away when seemingly out of nowhere, about fifteen _loups_ appeared and swarmed the SUV.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me!” Sharpie snarled as he shifted gears and drove backwards in an effort to make the getaway. There were yelps and barks, but he managed to get a clear path until they reached the beginning of the service road. Once there, Sharpie headed to the highway.

“ _Where are we going?”_ Danny asked as Sharpie drove like the devil was behind them.

“Winnipeg. Stay in your _loup_ forms just in case.” Sharpie ordered as he looked up briefly and shoved all of them down, he himself ducking down as the shots rang out, pinging against the sides of the SUV.

“Fuckers!”Sharpie shouted as he carefully raised his head to manouver the SUV away from the line of fire. “Not surprised you're not playing fair, fucking twats!”

He growled before he pulled open the glove compartment and pulled out a .357 Magnum, rolled down the window and started shooting back. Danny was too shocked to even think anything, but that didn't stop Kaner from giving out a huffing laugh from his position on the floor of the passenger side.

“Shut up, Kaner. Of course we have guns, for fuck's sake! Everyone knows what Kesler's like!” Sharpie snarled back at his friend once he had spent the cartridge. More shots rang out and Sharpie swore when they all heard a loud explosion and the vehicle swerved dangerously on the highway.

“Aw fuck! FUCK! FUCK!” Sharpie screamed as he frantically tried to keep the vehicle on the highway.

They all heard the frantic car horns and Kaner's scream as they plowed into another car head first. The impact was fierce and brutal and it took Danny several moments to remember where he was once the lights swimming across his vision cleared. Sharpie moaned and swore again, but he was luckily able to kick the cracked windshield out of the way and scramble out, gesturing to the others to do the same.

He shook his head once he was on the pavement and shifted fast, snapping at the others to make a run for it and leave the car.

“ _Okay, so plan F-We're going to Sorel. Just keep moving!”_ Sharpie ordered them as they ran off the highway and into the heavy bushes that had been recently planted on route 15.

“ _Plan F? For Fucked, Bur, shut the hell up and keep on running!”_ Danny had to roll his eyes at the sheer surrealness of Sharpie's comment. Only Bur would think to ask such a question in the middle of getting chased. And only Sharpie would be annoyed enough to answer it. They had just made it into the woods, and Sharpie had just breathed a sigh of relief when he was taken out by a large grey _loup._

Sharpie's howl was lost in the fray when the other _loups_ poured in and began attacking them. Danny leapt in without delay when he saw Kaner's small form be engulfed by five other wolves. His mind went blank as he used his teeth and claws to defend Kaner, who had been surprised and overwhelmed and had floundered badly. He managed to pull Kaner away from the limping and retreating wolves and let out a mental groan when he saw Kaner's badly bloodied and twisted hind leg. There was no way that they could get away now, even if they were so inclined. Bur was close enough to see and understand and bounded over to them, placing himself in front of Kaner, while Sharpie re-appeared. Bloody and with one eye a gelatinous mass down his muzzle, but still alive.

“ _Sorry. I failed in getting you guys to safety and now we're fucked six ways from Sunday. Sorry.”_ Sharpie said as he lowered and cocked his head to get a better look at the odds that they were facing. Despite the ambush, they had incapacitaed a good sized chunk of their attackers. But Sharpie was half-blind and Kaner was crippled. Only Danny and Bur were good to go, but they knew that they were simply delaying the inevitable. 

They stayed at a detente, the other wolves warily watching them, but not advancing. Danny cast a worried glance at Bur, who flicked an ear back and forth. They were waiting for orders or for someone to show up, that was all too clear. A car door slammed and broke the tension, making everyone look at the source of the noise.

“Hand them over, Sharpie. We just want them.” Jimmy Howard ordered Sharpie as he came forward. Sharpie bared his teeth and his ears flattened against his skull at the request.

“You already lost an eye, Sharpie. This is your last chance to walk away. The cavalry isn't coming for you. Now hand them over and we call it a day.” Jimmy ordered him, his eyes green with malicious mirth as he advanced towards Sharpie, who was still growling and wasn't backing away.

Jimmy sighed then and walked back to the car, but not before throwing out one last order to the wolves surrounding Sharpie and his group.

“Fine then. Kill them and grab Briere and Kane. We don't have time for this shit. We're needed back at the Enclave.”

Danny's heart sank, and he closed his eyes briefly. At least he was going to die fighting, and that, although was cold comfort, was better than being someone's captive.

“ _GO! GO! GO! GO!”_ Danny's eyes flew open as what looked like dozens of even bigger _loups_ flooded the clearing, pushing Kesler's forces away and creating a living barrier between them.

“ _What the hell are you waiting for? Get going! We got this!”_ Sheldon's and Jose's voices shouted into his mind with the force of a jackhammer that luckily pushed them all into some kind of action.

Jimmy howled in rage and transformed, quickly joining in the fray that had formed in the span of a few seconds.

They didn't have to be told twice and they half carry, half drag Kaner, who did his best to limp along despite his injured hind leg. They knew they would need somewhere to drop Kaner off safely. His leg wasn't going to hold off and neither were Kesler's troops, despite the battle that the Alpha and the 1   
st   
Consort were giving them. 

“ _Just a few more yards. We got that covered. Hurry though. Carey, Ryan and Henrik can't hold Kesler off for much longer!”_ Danny looked up and was utterly relieved to see Jonathan in human form rushing towards them while Max Talbot, Tanger and Brooks Orpik ran alongside them, hockey sticks in their hands in case they needed to run intereference from stray wolves that would attack them.

“ _Get in! Hurry! Get in!”_ Jonathan yelled at them as he quickly scooped up Kaner in his arms and ran to the truck that was idling at the shoulder of the highway. Sharpie and Bur didn't need to be told twice, and they rushed right in. Danny was right behind them and jumped gratefully into the cab of the truck...

...Only to be yanked out and hurled against the ground with enough force for him to hear snapping of more than a few bones. His head and forelg cracked painfully against the pavement, and his vision was blurred by the trauma of the impact. He tried to get to his feet, but was too dizzy to remain standing and collapsed again. He lay there, his breath coming in short and painful pants as his body betrayed him and shifted back to his human form. He screamed then, as broken bone and torn flesh returned back to their original shape. Danny screamed until his voice was gone and the pain filled every single one of his senses.

His vision though, cleared and he was greeted by the sight of a smirking Kesler standing over him, ready to deliver what Danny instinctively knew was going to be the killing blow. He guessed that Kesler waited long enough for him to go through the shift and be aware so that he could have full knowledge of his own death. There was no other reason for him to have waited.

“Thank you. I've met all of my objectives.” Kesler said to him before he grabbed Danny's head and yanked it back, baring his throat for the killing blow.

Danny's eyes widened, and Kesler smiled in clear anticipation of what he perceived was Danny's fear at his imminent death. But the blow never landed, since Kesler was knocked backward by the 2ndConsort swooping in.

Kesler didn't waste a moment and leapt to his feet, already in full wolf form. He charged at Ryan, who gave Danny one last look before he slid out a dagger from his sleeve before rushing out to meet Kesler.

“ _You're not the only one with a destiny, Daniel. Tell them I loved them with all my heart.”_

“NO! RYAN! NO!” Danny forced himself, despite the injuries, to sit up and reach out to pull Ryan back, to keep him from committing the most suicidal and bravest act he could. But he was too slow. Ryan was already out of his reach and had the blade out and ready for action.

It was too fast to really know who struck first. All that Danny saw was both of them clash with what seemed like titanic force before collapsing to their knees. Kesler fell first, his eyes wide in shock as his hands went to the bloody, torn gash across his throat that was gushing out blood. The light in his eyes went out and Danny couldn't do anything except watch as the Alpha of the Midwestern Pack collapsed and bled out on the pavement of the service road of Highway 15.

He didn't think anymore on it, since Ryan had fallen, right beside him. Despite managing to slice Kesler's throat open, it wasn't without a price. Ryan's eyes were no longer their usual bright green and the colour faded as the pool of blood grew underneath him.

“No...no...no...Ryan...no...no...”Sheldon suddenly was there and Jose right beside him as he clumsily pulled Ryan into his arms, and Danny saw his left hand was curled up, stiff and useless. His face was a mask of blood, and his eyes were sunken and looked as if with every bloody tear he shed, they were losing colour. Jose knelt behind them, his arms around both of his mates as if by sheer will, he could keep them together, could keep Ryan's soul from leaving.

Danny heard Kaner's screams and Tazer's admonition to not look, for fuck's sake, to not look, and watched as Ryan's lips moved before his eyes slid half-shut and his head dropped to the side. He saw Jose lean forward and lay a soft kiss on Ryan's forehead. Sheldon did the same right before they raised their heads and let out their grief at their lost mate.

Their grief, so horrible and powerful, rolled over all the _loups_ in the vicinity. Danny felt as if his entire soul was torn and his heart had broken into a million painful splinters that would never be whole ever again. He had to shut his eyes and clench his teeth against it, because it just hurt so much...

And then, there was nothing. 

~*~*~*~

“ _And all the things that you never ever told me And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me Never coming home, never coming home...” My Chemical Romance_

“Bur, hey, Bur, wake up.” Adam Burish groaned at the sound of his name and the insistent poking that had interrupted the unconsciousness he had collapsed into after hearing that soul tearing howling of the Alpha and his Consort.

“Stop.” Bur ordered as he tried to bat away the sharp finger poking him in the side. He yelped and pulled away. His midsection was getting tender, and he couldn't stand anything tight or anyone touching him there. Especially not after the battle. That and the Alphas Mourning Song had wiped him out, and he just wanted to sleep and not be poked.

“Not until you get up.” Bur's eyes slowly slid open as he looked at Caelan.

“I'm awake. Is that good enough?” Bur asked as he sluggishly sat up and scrubbed his face with his hand. Once he was more awake he looked at Caelan and noticed that the pup's eyes were light brown, and he was more or less looking human again, rather than the _loup_ hybrid form he had been stuck in recently.

“Now it is.” Caelan replied as he moved away from the bed. “I need to find my dad.”

Bur frowned as he pushed away his blankets and stood up, thankful he was wearing a pair of shorts. His gratefulness was short lived as he wondered who had put them on him and how he had ended up in his own bed. He was sure that mostly everyone in the vicinity had been knocked out by the raw power of the Alpha and the Consort's grief over Ryan. Shit. Ryan.

At the thought of the departed 2nd Consort, Bur forgot everything else and had to cover his mouth as he was struck by the rawness and freshness of his grief again. They hadn't been especially close friends, having contact only because of Sharpie and Jonathan's close ties with the Alpha's and Consorts. But they had gained a mutual respect for each other and when they could grab time, they did sit around and bond with Kaner at being the three Americans among their circle. They had never rushed their acquaintance, letting it develop gradually, only making speculative plans for the summer that all of them had no doubt they would achieve.

“Bur?” Caelan's voice pulled him out of his reverie, and he focused his attention back on the pup, rather than on the grief he felt over Ryan.

“Yeah. Sorry. You want breakfast, kid?” Bur asked as he shoved his hair away from his face and rubbed his eyes just in case there was any suspicious moisture he needed to get rid of.

“Later. Do you know where my dad is?” Caelan asked him, reminding him that despite his heart being cracked over the death of his friend, life still went on. And pups, no matter how old, still needed their fathers.

“No. But if you let me get dressed, we can find out.” Bur replied as he walked past Caelan on his way to his closet and grabbed the closest shirt he could find and yanked it over his head. He turned around, and had to admit that it hurt when Caelan was making a face as if he smelled something unpleasant and backed away from him.

“What? Do I smell or something?” He asked, his pulse speeding up as he asked the question. He had been noticing weird changes in his body lately, like not wanting to have his mid-section poked or touched and his chest being softer than before. Or being utterly disgusted by certain scents or foods.

“Yeah. You do. It's not bad, don't think that. It's just that you really smell...like a girl now.” Caelan explained after fumbling around for the right simile to explain the changed scent that was coming off of Bur. Although it had been there when he had been dropped off on Bur before, Caelan had noticed that this morning, it was super strong. And it was stirring very faint memories of his childhood, when he was very little and Cameron had just been...

“Hey...you preggers or something? Is that why you smell like a girl?” Calean asked abruptly. Bur nearly had a heart attack at the question.

“What? Why would I be..Oh shit. What exactly does a pregnant girl smell like?” Bur asked, his voice going high as everything clicked in place. As stupid as it sounded, he honestly didn't think it would have happened. He always made Kesler use condoms. Always. He couldn't recall a single time that they hadn't. Even with Sharpie, those couple of times...He closed his eyes and felt slightly dizzy, but forced himself to push it all back and open his eyes to look at Caelan for the answer.

“Like milk. You smell like baby milk. All sweet and light. You didn't have much of a scent before, but now...yeah. I guess too, that's why they put me with you. I heard Sharp say something about me going into heat...but I'm fine. Not hot at all.” Caelan finished, making Bur feel utterly mortified. Even more mortified than when his dad had sat him down for “The Talk” at twelve.

“Oh...shit...Uhm...Caelan...can you please not tell anyone? I just...look, I'd rather not tell anyone yet. I just need more time...wait...why are you so okay with this?” Bur asked, surprised at the calmness that the pup displayed. Hell, he was calmer than Bur himself was at that moment.

“Dude...we're _loups_. It would be pretty stupid to not believe in the possibility of anything out of the ordinary happening, don't you think?” Caelan pointed out.

Bur blinked at that. “Yeah...that makes sense. But for the record, Vampires aren't real.”

Caelan snickered. “Look, I'm not gonna say shit about this. I hate it when people talk shit about other people. I just wanna find my dad, dude. Sorry, but...no one's told me anything. And he is my dad.”

Bur nodded. He would do the same if he had been more or less shunted to the side and given no information about his father.

“Okay. Just...be quiet. I gotta concentrate for this one.”

He ran his hands through his hair in an effort to tame it before he closed his eyes and thought about Sharpie. He was basically low level in telepathy, but his closeness to Sharpie meant he was able to get on his friend's mental radar.

“ _Hey, about time you woke up there, lazy ass!”_ Sharpie greeted him, but the tone of his voice belied the chipper greeting. It was tired and raw and Bur had to wonder if all of them sounded like that, their grief making them rough and bruised even just in telepathic conversation.

“ _Bite me, Sharpie. I wouldn't be up if it wasn't for Briere's pup. You know where his dad is?”_ Bur asked, knowing that if he strayed from the topic, they would be engulfed in a grief that they didn't have the luxury of wallowing in just yet. Nor would he accidentally lead Sharpie towards knowledge he didn't need to have. Besides, Caelan was his responsibility, and even though he just wanted to do nothing more than sleep and lick his wounds...he had a duty to fulfill.

“ _Hold on a second. I'll talk to Carey. They went somewhere during...you know.”_ Sharpie said before there were a few moments of silence that were finally mercifully filled up when Sharpie replied.

“ _He's in the infirmary wing of the Enclave. Carey says he's not awake though. But he'll be okay. Eventually.”_ Sharpie added, and although he didn't mean to sound doubtful, it was there in his voice all the same. 

“ _What the hell is that supposed to mean? And what the hell am I going to tell the pup? It's his dad, man! Surely you gotta have something more than that?”_ Bur asked anxiously.

Sharpie's presence was gone for longer than before, and Bur hoped that the wait for information would be worth it, since he could hear Caelan fidgeting around impatiently.

“ _Carey says it's just a lot of breaks and bruises and...the backlash. He was right at ground zero, and it just knocked him out for six. But he's going to be okay. It's just going to take some time. He also said to tell Caelan he can see Danny later and to get some breakfast. Both of you. It will help with...you know.”_ Sharpie concluded. 

“ _Yeah...I'll do that. And you? How's the eye? Or should I start calling you Patches now?”_ Bur asked.

Sharpie actually laughed a bit at that.    
_“Fuck you, Bur. Eye's going to take a while, but it's gonna be okay, and no. You might confuse the Habs Max.”_

“ _What the fuck? Seriously? He's...wait. How come he didn't show up? And Gagner?”_ Bur asked, completely taken aback by the news there.

“ _Got held up with the Gypsies. We used him and Gagner to take Gionta and the pups there. They were supposed to come back to get Kaner and Briere...but you saw what happened. Just go get something to eat. Feed the kid. Get cleaned up. We're going to have to meet and...bury Ryan.”_ Sharpie whispered the last, and Bur had to mentally steel himself to not let his own grief spill over to Sharpie's and double his own. 

“ _So soon? I mean...shouldn't there be a wake or something? He was the 2 nd Consort...and a fucking hero in the end. Why do we have to say good-bye so soon?” _Bur asked, plaintively.

“ _There's too many things to settle now that everything is done. Carey and Shane need to get to the Pacific Territory. The Midwestern Pack has to be dealt with and...Sheldon and Jose are breaking. It's a fucking miracle they're alive, to be honest. For their sake, more than anything, it has to be done. Sheldon and Jose may be among our strongest...but their hearts shattered. And honestly? I don't know if they can get over losing Ryan.”_ Sharpie replied, this time, the sadness in his voice all too apparent to Bur in that exchange. 

“ _I know. I mean...we weren't close...but he was a good guy. A decent guy. Even with the history between him and Briere and the result...he didn't hesitate. A fucking hero till the end, he was. God...yeah...I'll feed the pup and explain it to him. Just let me know when we're supposed to meet.”_

“ _Yeah...I will. I gotta go. Jonathan's not...you know...I'll talk to you later.”_ Sharpie's voice was gone, and it was only then that Bur opened his eyes and looked at Caelan, who was waiting with obvious impatience at what Bur had found out.

“Come on. We need to eat. I'll tell you everything as we eat.”

~*~*~*~*~

“How are they?” Tazer asked Shane as they walked away from the infirmary and toward the makeshift meeting room. They had been some of the few away enough to have not been affected when Ryan had died. So they had instead taken the job of rounding up the hostages and organizing cells to clean up the bodies and tallying up the injuries and the dead.

Shane's mouth thinned at the question. “As well as can be expected. I'm surprised that they're both still standing, to be honest.”

Tazer nodded. “Are they that powerful, that they could have survived Ryan's death though? He was their mate. Shouldn't he have used their power to make it back?”

“It doesn't always work that way. Especially not with how badly Ryan was injured. And the silver in that dagger he used...Or there is the other option, that he refused to take the offer. Until Sheldon and Jose tell us, we won't know.” Shane explained grimly.

“Why would he not take the offer? Sheldon and Jose would do anything for him! Surely he would have known that?” Tazer asked while Shane's eyes darkened.

“Exactly. He knows that. Think about it. They would have done anything for him. Anything. Even sacrifice themselves. And knowing Ryan...that's not what he would have wanted.” Shane replied softly.

“Yeah...it's...just hard to see them like that, you know? It's fucking scary to think that maybe they're not ever going to get over that loss, you know? I mean, if it was Kaner...I'd probaly just lose it.” Tazer admitted quietly, making Shane murmur in agreement at the sentiment.

“I know. I know. But until they decide to give us an answer, we won't really know. And maybe there simply isn't an answer, and we have to accept that Ryan's dead, and he is in a better place.” Shane replied and Tazer nodded.

“Will we have to make the rulings without them then?” Tazer asked Shane once they had reached the room and let themselves in.

“Jose asked for an hour. Gives everyone time to get settled. Henke is with Sid in the infirmary still. As are Price and Sharpie and Junior Roy. Bur's with the pup. We have to wait for the East to decide on the candidates for their Alpha. The gypsies have a representative here now. Backstrom and Ovechkin have to be brought up to date. Hall, Eberle and Paavs too, since they were out fighting and distinguished themselves. And of course, we have to figure out what will happen to the Midwestern Pack, since Burish is the only representative of theirs, and they are old-fashioned enough to accept anything that he brings back to them. Well, whoever's left. Probably not many.” Shane replied as he went over to his seat and tossed Tazer a freshly photocopied stack of papers that were going to be looked at during the talks.

“Is it really necessary to have Bur sit in on the council? ” Tazer asked as he skimmed the itinerary and nodded to himself. All of it looked in order, and he didn't see anyone creating too much fuss about the points. Except for the addition of Bur. Yes, the other _loup_ was his friend, but the idea of having him be the face of the enemy rankled, and also they had soundly trounced the Midwestern Pack. They were the victors, and they should decide what was to be done there.

“Yes. He's the representative, since he's the most senior out of all the ones we have here. It is only fair, even if we have vanquished them. And if anything, Tazer, don't you think you're being unfair? If Carey and I can be reasonable about him sitting in council even after what happened to our territory...then you can be also. If you're going to be a good Alpha, you have to be fair. No matter what your personal feelings are about a situation.”

Tazer's mouth thinned, but he nodded at the reply. “Understood. We'll meet in an hour. I'll let Bur know his presence is required.”

~*~*~*~*~

“Done.” Jose told Sheldon as he ran his hand through Sheldon's shorn hair and brushed any stray hair into the sink.

“How does it look?” Sheldon asked as he raised his head from the sink and rotated his neck a bit.

Jose looked at Sheldon as he cleaned up all the hair and threw it in the wastebin and had to smile. With all his hair cropped closely to his head, it made him look younger than his years. It also made his eyes huge and bright green in his bruised and cut face.

“Like I imagine you would have looked at fourteen.” Jose replied, making Sheldon bite out a sharp laugh as he slowly got off the chair. He lost his balance, and Jose grabbed his right arm before anything could happen. Even though Sheldon was trying to hide it, the battle had taken much more out of him than previous ones, and even being out of bed for short periods was wearing him out.

Jose knew better than to point it out. Sheldon was proud and stubborn and despite having stepped down as Alpha, had been a leader far too long and was more used to pushing his needs back in order to fulfill his duties.

“Sorry.” Shel whispered as he let Jose help him back to bed. “I didn't realize how bad the hit was. I just-”

“Don't. “ Jose cut him off as he helped Sheldon lay down on his right side. The wolves they had been fighting had known about Sheldon's previous weaknesses and had done their best to swarm and attack at his most vulnerable. Even though Jose and Laich and even Hall had fought in a tight formation, they had gotten separated. Jose didn't want to remember that fight. Sheldon had been crippled, his future uncertain and Ryan had been taken away from both of them.

Sheldon's eyes closed briefly at that, and Jose felt bad for his sharpness. He sat down on the bed, careful to not jostle Sheldon's arm or leg and leaned over to kiss him tenderly on stitched up lips.

“Don't apologize. There's nothing for you to apologize for, _coeur.”_ Jose told him as he caressed the high planes of Sheldon's cheekbones. Sheldon's eyes drooped, and he let out a soft sigh of contentment.

“You were fighting six wolves, and you killed three before the reinforcements came. You have fought in how many battles before that? You saved me. You have done so much, love. Don't beat yourself up.” Jose whispered as he covered Sheldon's forehead, cheek and jaw with feather-light kisses until Sheldon made soft noises of pleasure in his throat. Jose kept it up, waiting until Sheldon's mind and body relaxed enough to fall asleep again. He thought he had achieved that when Sheldon splayed out on the bed with his eyes closed completely and his breathing deepened. Jose was about to move away when Sheldon opened his eyes and looked at him.

“What time is it?” Sheldon asked, and Jose looked at his watch.

“It's nearly time. But you need to rest, love.” Jose replied gently as he pulled up the covers to Sheldon's chin.

“I've been through worse, and they expect us both to be there.” Sheldon objected, trying to push the covers away and get up.

“No. You haven't been through this. They mangled your leg and shattered your arm. They sliced you open with silver and you had blood poisoning through that, which I know hasn't cleared your system yet. I know you've been injured before, but not like this. It doesn't matter who goes. I hold as much power as you in the Court. Sheldon, I've already lost Ryan. And I can't lose you through your stupid pride and stubborness. You're all I've got left. Let me do this for you. Let me be the one to take care of you for once.”

Sheldon stopped trying to get up and laid back, letting Jose tuck in the blankets and stroke his forehead.

“I'm not used to this. I know you're right. But it's hard, to be so weak when I've been an Alpha for most of my life. “ Sheldon finally told him as his eyes closed out of their own accord.

“It's not weakness. You're injured, and we just lost our mate. No one will fault you for that. So don't do it to youself, love.” Jose countered, his voice low and urgent as he tried to convince his mate.

“I'll try. Now go, love. I'll...” Whatever it was that he was going to do was lost when he drifted off to the sleep that he was so desperately trying to hold back. It was as if he needed the permission from Jose to let himself drift off, and it worried Jose.

He himself wasn't fine. He missed Ryan horribly, and he too was suffering from silver poisoning, but he was at least a hundred times better than his Alpha. He pushed back the fear that had risen when Sheldon had collapsed after they had howled their grief at Ryan's death. It had eased once the doctors had treated him and assured him that it would take time, but he would be back to his usual self again. But now, seeing him so weak and so stubborn about it made the fear come back again.

“Fuck off. I've lived through hell. He got me out. I can get him out. Fuck off.” Jose muttered as he pressed his lips to Sheldon's forehead.

“ _Je t'aime. Toujours, mon coeur. Tojours et n'importe pas que je besoin fait pour toi.”_ Jose whispered, before he pulled away and went to the bathroom. He looked at himself and straightened out his dress shirt and pulled at the cuffs. He frowned at his reflection. He was too pale, and the scratches across his face looked livid against his ivory tinted skin. There wasn't much he could do for that though except to wait for the silver poisoning to clear out of his system, which would happen in a week.

He looked at his watch and sighed. It was time to go.

~*~*~*~*

“How is Danny?” Jonathan Roy asked Carey, making him look up from the paperwork in front of him.

“He's still out of it. They think he's got a concussion along with all the broken bones. Best thing for him is to rest. Kesler banged him up pretty bad before Ryan finished him off.” Carey replied as Jonathan sat down beside him and shuffled the papers. Carey watched him carefully, since apart from the Alpha Precedent and his Consort, he had suffered more losses. Ryan had been his blood and his friend, and he had also lost his father in the war, leaving him to take his father's place in the Eastern Court. He didn't look well, the unrelieved black of his suit and shirt making his pallor and red-rimmed eyes even more noticeable than they would have otherwise been. But his eyes were bright and burning with a dangerous light that prevented Carey from extending any condolences.

“How is Sharpie?” He asked instead, figuring that it would be a safe enough topic to speak on.

“Well. He's going to look like a pirate for awhile, but he's going to have his eye back. He's going to be here this afternoon. I think most of the Western Court will be.” Jonathan replied as he put the papers back in order and turned to look at the door. Carey also looked and was relieved to see a nervous, but presentable looking, Adam Burish at the door. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit, with a dark blue shirt and navy tie that made his eyes look big and blue in his pale face.

Carey frowned. There was something off about Burish. Had been, ever since they had been getting intel from him, due to his position in the Midwestern Pack and being Tazer, Kaner, and Sharpie's friend and team-mate. And it was something that he was sure he had seen before among the women of his territory.

“Sheldon and Jose are coming, I heard?” Henrik's abrupt question made him look to his left and blink in surprise, since he hadn't been expecting the European Collective representative to show up, never mind choose a seat right next to him. Speaking with Burish would have to wait till later. He didn't want to be rude to Lundqvist, since the wolf had been nothing but nice and a good ally in the past.

“Sheldon insisted that they would, even though it's not necessary. Their mate has just died and they were affected by silver poisoning like many of us. Everyone understands. But he's been an Alpha for so long that duty's been sunk into his bones.” Carey answered. Henrik nodded.

“I understand fulfilling your duty, but not to the detriment of your health. Besides, Toews, Sharp, Doan and yourself are capable enough to handle the business here. “ Henrik commented. Carey nodded his agreement, because it was true. The most pressing order of business was how to deal with the Midwestern pack and the new additions to it. Especially now that they had done more digging and had found out exactly why Kesler had been so keen and aggressive in his quest for expansion.

“We are. But he is the Alpha and if he insists, then-” He didn't finish the sentence, since the sight of the next _loup_ that had appeared shocked him into silence. Henrik noticed this and turned to look at what had made Carey fall silent.

“Oh.” He whispered as he too watched Jose Theodore, the Consort of the Alpha Precedent, walk into the meeting hall, his face pale and livid with three scratches across it and his hair shorn almost down to his scalp. The starkness of his black dress shirt and black dress trousers did nothing to dispel the severeness of his features or the hair cut. If he noticed the reaction he had caused, he didn't show it. He simply walked with his head held high towards Shane, Sharpie, Kaner andToews, who were standing at the far end with Hiller, Talbot, Crosby, Ovechkin, Joel and a young and new _loup_ that had to be the emissary of the gypsies.

“Why is his hair gone?” Henke asked in a low voice, having recovered faster than Carey himself had.

“Sheldon's people do that when their Consorts die. It's the highest honour and the highest sign of mourning. I have only heard of it, from my mother. But never saw it done until now.” Carey explained.

“We will all do it, to show respect. Before the funeral, I mean.” Carey explained as he ran his hand through his shoulder length hair he had tied back with a black ribbon. His eyes went black as he sat back, making Henrik draw away slightly at the sight. It was unnerving, and Henrik had to admit that the Western wolves were pretty unnerving and wild, compared to his countrymen and Eastern Packs.

“Are we going to have any of the Midwestern Pack here? It would be only fair to do so.” Henrik asked as he craned his neck and looked around for the possible Midwestern representatives.

“Yeah. It's Burish and Talbot. But Burish is the one with offical veto powers, since Talbot was never formally recognized by the Pack, and Sid adopted him into the Eastern Pack.” Carey replied. Henrik nodded and was about to open his mouth to ask another question when the last of the stragglers, Hall, Eberle and Paajaarvi appeared and slunk quietly to their seats, which happened to be where Jose, Sharpie, Kaner, Tazer and Shane had chosen to sit.

“We got assigned seating?” Henrik whispered to Carey, who shook his head and watched as Burish nervously gravitated towards the empty seat next to Henrik. Sid followed right after, and Carey couldn't help but note that Burish was now flanked by Henrik and Sid with Talbot. Ovechkin, Hiller, Joel, and the new kid occupied the rest of the seats and waited. The doors opened again, and Fleury, along with Letang, hurried in and sat down beside Jonathan Roy and tried to not look mortified at their lateness, since Tazer was frowning at them. Theo didn't react, and Sharpie was reading the papers in front of his seat, while ignoring everything in the room. Somehow, Carey had the feeling that this meeting was NOT going to be cut and dried as the gatherings had been in the past.

Henrik settled back in his seat and tried to pay attention to the affairs of the meeting, but the sweet scent of milk was distracting him. A scent he had caught the last time he had visited his older sister and she had...His eyes widened and he discreetly started tracking the scent. It wasn't coming from Carey. Nor was it coming from him, that he knew for sure.

He turned his head and saw that Burish was sitting sort of hunched over, as if his stomach was bothering him. His left hand was resting on his stomach, and Henrik was just about to be courteous and ask him if he needed help when he saw the way that Burish's hand was stroking his mid-section. It was a protective and soothing gesture he had only seen with pregnant women.

Burish's head snapped up and his eyes widened as he met's Henrik's gaze, realization full across his face. Burish's mouth opened, but whatever he was going to say was cut off by Tazer calling them all to order.

“Let's begin then.” Tazer said as he sat down and looked around the table at everyone gathered there. Burish closed his mouth and shot Henrik a pleading glance. Henrik nodded almost imperceptibly and they both turned their attention to Tazer.

“But before business, we will have a moment of silence in remembrance of our 2nd Consort of the West and our fallen brother in arms, Ryan Miller, and all our other fallen comrades.” Tazer said, his voice strained as he spoke. They all lowered their heads and remained silent for several minutes. Once the moment of silence and respect had been done, the meeting began.

“I'm sorry to say that the Eastern Court has been decimated. The Regent, The Council and the Alpha are dead in the battle. They fought well. But the East is without leadership.” Tazer stated.

“So what do you propose we do?” Hiller asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and sat back in his chair. “The council is useless with the court gone.”

“The West and the Pacific Courts want to nominate Sidney Crosby as Alpha. Jonathan Roy, Kristopher Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury and Maxime Talbot to the council. Taylor Hall as the Heir and Sam Gagner, in absentia, as Regent.” Jose explained, his voice cool and composed as he listed off the names.

“Are you in favour? Gagner has already accepted the position of Regent, so it is up to the nominees and the European Council to make any suggestions or objections.” He explained as he leaned forward and looked at the rest of the _loups_ sitting around the meeting table.

The Europeans murmured among themselves while Sid, Talbot and the rest of his teammates whispered to each other in French about the situation. Hall and Eberle too, were speaking in rapid, hushed tones while Paajaarvi watched them with a crooked smirk, and Henrik had to wonder how the pup was dealing with being a lower rank amongst his friends. Just like him. Henrik frowned as the thought hit him and made a mental note to speak to him later and make sure he was okay in the West.

“Crosby is the best choice, and the council needed new blood. Hall is a good choice for the next Alpha, and Roy has proven he is more than capable to take his father's seat in the Council. We have no objections.” Joel announced.

“We all accept.” Crosby added, his teammates nodding their consent.

“As do I.” Jonathan added flatly, his eyes on the papers before him. “It is an honour. Thank you.”

“I am...shocked. Thanks...” Hall stuttered and squawked in indignation as Magnus slapped him across the head and Eberle punched him. Kaner snickered, and everyone pretended that nothing had happened. They were kids, and it was allowed.

“Thank you for accepting. After this last War, we need a strong council and stronger ties to each other. Especially since not only territories, but also individual lives were toyed with.”Jose said, his eyes darkening to a deep emerald green as he spoke.

“The first order is to unmuzzle Claude Giroux and restore his standing. Kane has just informed us that he was muzzled unfairly by Carbonneau, in order to keep him quiet about Briere's role in this war. And Briere himself...had been used as a pawn by the earlier Council. He was supposed to be the sacrifice. But Miller...” Jose paused and looked down at the table, his body shaking as he fought to keep his emotions under control in order to continue telling them all what he had found.

“But Miller put a stop to that. I won't say how I know this. Not now. All you need to know is that we have to take measures for it to never happen again. Nothing will be hidden anymore. We can't afford to keep secrets. I lost one of my mates. We lost good people. We can't have it happen again.”

“Unmuzzle him. He's had that junk around his vocal chords long enough. Any longer and he'll be dead.” Tazer ordered harshly, drawing everyone's attention to a silent figure that had been hidden within one of the alcoves of the room.

“Done.” Tuukka Rask agreed, sliding out like a black shadow and exiting the room without a word.

“What is to be done about the Midwestern Pack and territory then?” Sharp asked.

“There are fewer than 30 of them left. Not enough for a pack. Most of the ones remaining are the newly-turned.” He added.

“There are ten that are left in Minnesota.” Burish added quietly. “And five in Wisconsin.”

“Why were they left behind?” Tazer asked softly. “From the intel you gave us, Kesler pulled out every single one of his wolves . So why are these fifteen unaccounted for?”

Burish turned red, and Henrik saw his hand press down on his belly.

“ _He's pregnant, isn't he?”_ Henrik had to force himself to not jolt in his seat as Carey spoke to him.

“ _How did you figure it out?”_

“ _All packs have secrets. The Midwest almost never turned, but they had good numbers. Better than even ours. The Western and the Pacific Packs have female loups. Kesler must have found that out somehow, that was why he was striking. He could have had a hundred strong army in twenty years, with female and male loups breeding.”_ Carey replied before he turned back to Burish, who was looking everywhere but at Tazer and Sharpie.

“Because they're pregnant. Burish is protecting them.” Talbot finally replied harshly. “The Midwestern Pack can breed, even though they are males.”

Tazer's eyes blazed at the knowledge, and Sharp went dead white at the news, while Burish glared at Talbot. The rest of the council sat as if they had been turned to stone and simply watched as the events unfolded in front of them.

“You fucking traitor!” Burish hissed at Talbot and made as if to lunge at his pack-mate, but was held back by both Henrik and Sidney. “You _knew_ you were never supposed to reveal that!”

Talbot stood up, his eyes blazing with an unholy blue light as he looked at Burish.

“Come off it! We're done for! They would have found out sooner or later! Especially since you're breeding yourself! I can smell it! We all can smell it on you! You don't care, Burish. You never did, or else you woudn't have agreed to play double-agent for us! At least I was honest!”

Burish snarled and Henrik and Sidney both had to stand up to keep him away from Talbot, who despite being angry, was looking at Burish with pity in his eyes as everything clicked for him.

“You'd better shut the fuck up now, Talbot, or I'll rip your face off! I'm fucking warning you-” Burish snarled and was putting up a hell of a struggle against Henrik and Sidney, prompting Carey and Ovechkin to stand up just in case they had to step in.

“They will have to know, what you did. It's not like everyone's blind here when it comes out looking like his father. You heard Theodore. Might as well have it out.” Talbot taunted Burish, who howled as he tried to get closer to Talbot.

“You're pregnant with Kesler's spawn?” Kane blurted out, his eyes wide in shock. “But I thought-”

“Oh Adam...that was how you got out of there, wasn't it?” Sharpie asked as he stood up.

“You were whoring for him?” Tazer asked, his voice shaking at the implications as the information hit him.

“What the fuck else did you think he wanted when he chose me, Tazer? You're so fucking smart, but you missed that? The _loup_ that Kaner got killed was breeding. Did you think Kesler was that nice that he would agree for me to leave his side all this time if he wasn't getting something from me?” Burish asked, his eyes bright as he laughed hysterically.

“You have to get rid of it then. They have no Alpha and are close to the Western and Pacific territories. We let them be, but we will destroy them if they even _think_ about going up against us.”

Tazer decreed, making the entire room break out in complete chaos once he had spoken. The Europeans started talking amongst themselves, and Fleury and Letang pulled Talbot down and deluged him with a barrage of rapid French.

“Tazer! You can't just decide that! He's our friend!” Sharp shouted at Tazer.

“He's carrying Kesler's spawn! We just fought a war! Ryan's dead. Roy is dead. Carbonneau, Stortini, LeClaire are dead.Pominville, Roy, Horcoff, Sheldon and Danny are injured..did you forget them?” Tazer shouted back, his eyes yellow in his rage.

“After all I did for you, you ungrateful little shit...you want to take this away from me also?” Burish shouted while Henrik and Sidney still held onto him, despite Burish being limp in their grip and relying on them to hold him up.

“You want another war on your hands?” Tazer shouted back. “You are my friend and I value that-”

“Obviously not enough to let me make my own decisions about this!” Burish screamed back.

“ENOUGH! _C'EST SUFFIT!_ ” Jose roared at all of them, making them all just stop dead and look at him in utter shock and surprise, since none of them had ever heard Jose even raise his voice before.

“No one is doing anything to Burish! Without him, we'd all be dead or under Kesler's thumb and you all know it. Burish, you have my word that nothing will happen to you or your pup. In fact, to ensure that, Sharp and Roy will have custody of you for your safety.” Jose told Burish, who turned pale at that.

“I know that Henrik and Sidney and even Carey would be willing to take you in if asked, but Sharpie is close enough to assuage Tazer's paranoia. And if, and only if, the pup turns out as bad as the sire, he will go to the European Courts. Agreed that it is fair, Burish?” Burish was quiet as he thought it over and finally gave a stiff nod before crumpling in Henrik and Sidney's hold so fully that they had to return him to his chair. Henrik and Sidney then began speaking to him in low voices while Burish rested his head on the table, too bereft and humilated to look at anyone.

“As for the Midwestern Pack, we will sign a treaty and let them be. Those that want to be part of the Western or Pacific or Eastern packs will get the choice. We'll get better results that way. Or does anyone have any other suggestions that would work better?”

No one said anything, and Jose nodded. “Anyone disapprove?”

Silence was his only answer.

“I know that we are in Council, but I am invoking the privilege of being the Alpha Incumbent's First Consort and making these rulings law in his absence, since the Alpha cannot be trusted to stay impartial. If you wish to veto my rulings, do so now. Otherwise, they shall be entered as law until the next meetings of the Court, which shall be held at Lughnasa.”

“The European Collective agrees with the rulings.” Hiller announced after his colleagues and he had finished their furious discussion.

“The East also.” Sidney added in a neutral voice. “We also want to add that if Burish finds the guardianship of Sharpe and Roy unsatisfactory, he has a place in the Eastern Court.”

Jose noted and turned to Shane and Carey. “Do you agree with the provision?”

“Burish was invaluable to our people and territory. He has our full support.” Shane finally spoke, after having a silent conversation with his cousin to make sure that he was in complete agreement.

“It is done. We will bury the fallen at sundown. Council is dismissed. And Burish, come see me in the Archives. We need to talk”

~*~*~*~*~

“Sit down.” Jose told Burish when he gathered his wits about him so that he'd be able to meet with the suddenly steel-backboned Consort of the Alpha. Despite the kindness Jose had shown him, he was still nervous about meeting Jose, especially now that his secret was out in the open.

He took the seat, and again found himself stroking his stomach. He wasn't going to deny it as he had earlier when Caelan had said he smelled like a girl. It was obvious that there was a life growing inside him. The question was, who was the sire. And if he could deal with the answer once it came.

“First of all. I'm sorry that you had to go through this alone. That you paid that high of a price to get us help. I also apologize for Tazer's behaviour. I know that it doesn't mean as much until it comes from him, but I still have to let you know that Sheldon and I appreciate what you did for us.” Jose told him as he grabbed a chair and sat down across from him.

“How many months along are you?”

Burish bit his lip and looked to the side before he replied. “Maybe...three or four months? I don't know for sure.”

Jose nodded and leaned forward. “Would I be right in guessing that Kesler may _not_ be the father?”

Burish's face turned white, and Jose reached out just in case Burish fell out of the chair.

“How...how the fuck...how did you know that?” Burish whispered, slumping back in the chair.

“Empath. Sharpie was pretty damned easy to read, but the telepaths didn't pick it up due to the confusion. But I was close to him, so I picked up some things. And the way you were acting...I was surprised that you would fight so hard for a child that was...” Here Jose paused and looked directly into Burish's eyes.

“Did he force you? At any time?” He asked quietly. Burish shook his head.

“It was...an agreement. I thought I could handle it. But in the end...it was harder to keep up. It was just killing me, having to go through with it.” Burish explained.

“Sharpie's your best friend, and he could guess. Not all of it, and he would take care of you. Never bonded with you, but he made you forget the feel of Kesler's hands, his lips and scent. Even for a little while. But you were careless. With one. With both. And here you are. Am I right?”

Burish nodded miserably. “I couldn't say anything. Jonathan's also my friend. And I knew it was wrong. But...It was killing me, and Sharpie made me feel safe. Even though he wasn't mine.”

“I understand. Even though many won't. You had to do what you had to. And no one should judge you for using what you had at your disposal to keep yourself sane.” Jose told him as he put his hand on Burish's shoulder.

“So why don't you let me go to the Eastern Court? I can't be here any longer. I'd split my friends apart being here. It would be easier if I go somewhere else-”

“Tazer is an ass, I'm not going to deny that. But he means well. He's just never fully gotten over his guilt at what happened to Kaner. And even though he understands intellectually what you did, he sees what you did as a betrayal. Sharpie was trying to help a friend the only way he understood, and you were hanging on. I get that. But running away isn't going to fix this situation.”

Jose pulled away and stood up. He crossed his arms as he looked at Burish, who was looking utterly sick and miserable at what he had just been told.

“It looks bleak right now. I know it does. My mate is dead. My Alpha...is lost. I know how it feels to be the one left to pay the price. I know. But right now? This is where you have to be.”

“How do you know? You think Sharpie is just going to leave Jonathan and be with me once this baby is born? That Tazer will just get over it and we'll be back to normal?” Burish asked harshly, his head bowed in utter defeat.

“No. I don't think that. I don't know what is going to happen. But I do know that they are your friends. As stupid and as stubborn as they are, they are still your friends. Give them a chance. Have faith in them. Because if you don't and run away...you're giving them the same message that they are giving you.”

Jose uncrossed his arms and moved closer to Burish and tilted his face up.

“So try. Just try.”

END

**Author's Note:**

> This is the 5th series in the Loup! Verse that started with "Hard to Explain" (13 parts) the side story "You Do SOmething To Me", continued with "I'm With You" (8 parts) and "Between Duty and Love" (5 parts) and "Bridge to Nowhere" (7 Parts)  
> 2nd Note- In this AU, Giroux is still in the Phantoms. Danny's life loosely follows the same pattern as in RL, but no real details will be given.
> 
> Also, songs quoted are from Sam Roberts, Metric, My Chemical Romance and various other bands. They don't belong to me, neither do the people written about.


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